


Lessons In Rehabilitation

by FictionalNutter



Series: Rehabilitation 'verse [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blind Sam Winchester, Gabriel Lives, Hurt Sam Winchester, Immobility, M/M, Mute Sam Winchester, Nightmares, Protective Gabriel, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-11 19:42:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 34,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1177124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionalNutter/pseuds/FictionalNutter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a hunt goes wrong and Sam is left helpless and disabled, Gabriel volunteers to care for him so Dean and Castiel can continue hunting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Injured

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [on FanFiction.net](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9207167/1/Lessons-in-Rehabilitation). If you have any requests for time stamps or additions to this fic, let me know!
> 
> You can also find me on [Tumblr](http://www.supernaturallyimagined.tumblr.com).

Dean Winchester sat in the driver's seat of the Impala, glaring impressively at a suburban house. There was nothing particularly remarkable about the house itself, but the people inside of it were decidedly out of the ordinary for a calm little suburb like this. That was the problem with suburbs in general. There was always something waiting to threaten that idyllic peace and quiet.

To Dean's right was his younger brother Sam, who was watching the house with the exact same level of intensity, though his expression was less dramatic. He instead looked thoughtful, which suited him. Dean tended to be more demonstrative, and Sam tended to be more of a planner. That was made them such a great team. Both had their strengths, and they balanced each other out well.

"Why are we still watching the house?" A low voice demanded from behind them.

"Ssssh," the brothers hushed in unison. Only Dean turned around to look at Castiel, the angel in the backseat.

"We just want to make sure there aren't any surprises, Cas. We'll go in in a sec." Dean reassured him, giving the angel one of his rare genuine smiles.

Sam watched the exchange out of the corner of his eye, a smile dancing on his lips as well. His older brother was like a first grade girl with a crush around the angel sometimes, and he was relieved that the two of them were actually in a relationship now. Before they had gotten together, the tension had been remarkably intense sometimes. Now it was almost like being with two puppies. Castiel was the confused puppy and Dean the eager one. They were adorable to watch. Most of the time. There was a reason Sam had his own room when they traveled now.

"What do you say, Sam?" Dean asked, snapping Sam out of his thoughts. "You think we're good?"

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "If they knew we were here, they would have done something by now. We should be good to go."

"Excellent," Castiel said, his intonation not changing at all to match the enthusiasm in his eyes.

Sam's lips twitched again, but he left the angel with his brother and headed towards the house. Nothing suspicious had happened in the entirety of the time they'd been watching, but that was no reason to leave caution behind.

Creeping slowly towards the front door, Sam was aware that Dean and Castiel had joined him, Dean mimicking his brother's cautious approach while Castiel watched with amusement.

"Cas, humor us. Some discretion?" Sam whispered, gesturing towards himself and Dean, who weren't standing in full view of a window.

Realizing his error, Castiel moved to Dean's side, glancing towards Sam to make sure his new position was approved.

Rolling his eyes, Sam moved towards the front door, took a deep breath, and knocked it down.

"Nobody move!" He roared, training his gun on the first woman in the room. She was probably in her forties, and her brown hair, just starting to gray, was done up in tight bun, which only accentuated her angular features.

Startled, the woman backed up against the wall, but did not look frightened. Instead, she glanced towards the other two women in the room with a meaningful look.

"Dean, Cas?" Sam called, reassured when he heard Dean cock his gun and train it on the youngest woman, who couldn't have been more than twenty.

The one woman without a gun trained on her was the oldest, and she was glaring viciously at the hunters. "How dare you?" She roared. "You cannot just barge into my home-"

"I believe your activities as murderers negates your right to privacy," Castiel informed her gravely. Something about his frankness shut her up.

Dean chuckled at that and gave Castiel a wink. Tossing the older woman a snarky smile he added, "He's got you there."

"Why are you here?" The angular woman demanded, straightening up and stepping towards Sam, who readjusted his grip on the gun.

"To stop this," Sam said firmly.

"Stop what?" The youngest woman asked, looking petrified.

"You're witches," Dean said, his tone irritated at how drawn out the conversation was becoming. "Six people have died already, and you psychos aren't killing anybody else!"

The youngest witch's eyes widened and her gaze flew to the oldest woman's face. "Is that true? People have been dying? You said this was simple magic! To help people!"

"I thought it was!" The old woman protested, glancing between the young witch and the hunters. "There's no way we're responsible!"

Unsure, Sam's gaze slipped to the other two women for a split second.

That was all the time the angular witch needed. With a screech of glee she launched herself forward, knocking Sam over and laying a knife across his throat. "Not one single movement from any of you!" She sneered.

Dean's face was furious. "Let him go, you bitch!" He yelled, eyes flashing with unconcealed rage.

"Touchy, touchy, aren't we? Mother, Opal, come to me." The angular witch glared at the other two women until they joined her, both still basking in the success of their performance.

"What'd you think?" Opal asked Dean, winking at him. "I thought I was rather convincing."

Dean glowered at her, but managed to retain enough of his boyish confidence to chuckle at her. "Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but I'm taken." He gestured to Castiel, who looked murderous.

A flash of disappointment flickered across Opal's face, but she sniffed and rolled her eyes. "As if I'm even interested," she said primly. "I don't fraternize with hunters." She said it like it was a dirty word, and the looks on her mother and grandmother's faces confirmed their opinions.

"Well, I don't hang with witches either," Dean said with a shrug. "So I guess everyone's happy. Now, let my brother go before this ends extra badly for all three of you."

"Oh, I don't think so," the angular witch replied. Turning her face skyward, she began yelling in an ancient tongue that neither Winchester recognized immediately.

The blood drained from Castiel's face and he lurched forward. "NO!" He bellowed, reaching out a hand in vain to stop the witch from speaking.

Dean, unsure what was happening, went into autopilot mode and fired his gun, shooting the youngest and oldest witches through the chest, causing them both to crumple. He hadn't aimed to kill, but he didn't spare a moment to check if they were dead or not. Instead, he leveled his gun at the witch who was chanting, but her concentration hadn't broken.

With a final screech of the language, the witch lifted up her hands away from Sam and cried out in Latin, only to have her voice silenced as a bullet from Dean's gun caught her in the chest as well.

All of a sudden there was a still silence in the house, and it was far more disturbing than even the chanting had been.

"Sammy!" Dean called, his voice tense with nervousness. He lurched to his brother's side, ignoring the bodies of the women. His tall brother lay at an awkward angle on the floor, unconscious. "Cas, what'd that bitch do to him?"

Castiel picked himself up off of the floor, where he had fallen unceremoniously in his attempt to stop the witch. "She was cursing him in Enochian," he answered gruffly, seething. "As soon as I realized I tried to stop her, but obviously I failed. I'm sorry, Dean."

"Wait, wait, wait," Dean interrupted, not letting the apology continue. "Cursing him? Like how?"

"He is..." Castiel searched for a kinder word than the one that came to mind. "Damaged."

"Clearly, Cas, he's out cold," Dean said impatiently. "What was the curse?"

Castiel sighed, looking uncomfortable. "This curse is...harsh. It is unlikely that Sam will ever wake up."

Dean froze, unable to accept that. After all the crap they had dealt with to get Sam back to normal after the apocalypse, there was no way a stupid hunt for witches was going to end his baby brother. "If he does?" Dean managed to ask.

"Were we somehow able to revive him, Sam would be unable to walk, speak, or perhaps even see. This curse is designed to render the victim useless." Castiel looked brokenhearted as he shifted his gaze between the brothers. "I am so sorry, Dean. I cannot even fathom how you must feel."

"Shell shocked," Dean managed to reply. "Don't beat yourself up, Cas, please. I don't blame you for this. We'll figure something out." He paused, turning to the women on the ground. He shook the shoulder of the angular witch roughly. "Hey, wake up!" He growled.

Castiel moved to join him, checking the pulses of the other two women. "The others are dead," he informed Dean gravely. "The elder's heart failed, and the younger lost too much blood."

Dean was dimly aware from the blood around Opal that he must have hit some kind of artery for her to have bled out so quickly. He couldn't quite bring himself to regret taking the shots, and refocused on the angular witch. "What about this one?" He searched for a pulse, but couldn't find one.

Moving forward, the angel touched the witch's neck lightly before shaking his head. "The bullet tore through her heart."

Dean could tell that the bullet wound was a lot closer to the heart than the other two had been, so he really shouldn't have been surprised, but the news felt like his lifeline was being cut. "Dammit!" He swore, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "What the hell am I supposed to do? Can you wake him up?" He gestured desperately towards Sam.

Castiel nodded. "I can try." With a deep breath he knelt beside the younger Winchester, whose face looked so innocent in his current unconscious state. The angel and Sam were not the best of friends at all times, but they were closer now than they had been before Sam had sacrificed himself to defeat Lucifer. Castiel had rescued Sam for Dean's sake, though he had had to seek assistance when he realized he had to go back for Sam's soul. Seeing Sam lying on the floor, so damaged, was a sign that Castiel had failed Dean. Steeling himself against another possible failure, Castiel lightly placed two fingers against Sam's forehead, allowing his grace to have free reign. _Please, Father_ , Castiel begged God. _Do not let Dean lose his brother like this_.

Dean watched anxiously, one hand clutching Sam's unresponsive hand and the other resting on Castiel's shoulder in support. "Well?" He asked cautiously as the glow emanating from Castiel faded away.

Castiel shook his head slowly. "I am not strong enough." He had regained the full power of his grace after the apocalypse had ended, which had allowed him to assist both in Heaven and on Dean's hunts, keeping the hunter safe until Castiel had been able to rescue Sam. Despite the fact that he was a full angel once more, he was not strong enough to reverse the curse.

"Isn't there anyone...?" Dean started to ask, not ready to face an end just yet. As long as Sam was still breathing, there was a way to fix this.

There was a pause, then a look of determination fell over Castiel's face. "I will be right back, Dean." With that brief farewell, the angel vanished.

Dean was left clutching his brother's lifeless hand, panic threatening to overwhelm him. Even the slight motion in Sam's chest that indicated he was still breathing was not enough to assuage the hunter's fears.

The whoosh of wings caught Dean's attention, and he looked up in surprise to see that Castiel had returned with a guest. "Gabriel?" He asked skeptically.

"Step aside, Dean-o," Gabriel said casually. "I'm here to wake Sleeping Beauty." It had been Gabriel that Castiel turned to when he needed to save Sam's soul, and the archangel had agreed with surprising ease. After all the trouble he had gone to to save the younger Winchester's soul, Gabriel was going to be damned if a normal hunt negated all that effort.

Mild irritation broke through Dean's attempts to keep calm, and he fixed his glare on Castiel. "Gabriel?" He said again, this time using his tone to inflect the words 'what the hell are you thinking' into the name.

"We needed someone more powerful, Dean," Castiel said calmly. "Gabriel is an archangel." He turned his gaze to his older brother, watching intently.

Reluctantly, Dean mirrored Castiel's movement and watched the short archangel mimic Castiel's earlier action, this time the glow burning bright gold. Where Castiel had a soft and natural white light that felt comforting, watching Gabriel was too bright. It hurt Dean's eyes like watching the sun in midday without sunglasses. He had to look away, but when the light faded his head whipped back around to watch his brother for any signs of life.

"Ugh."

It was just a grunt, but it meant that Sam was awake. Dean flung himself towards his brother, shaking him lightly by the shoulder. "Sammy?" He asked urgently.

There was another groan, but when Sam opened his mouth, no words came out. He gestured with panic towards his eyes and legs, then his mouth, his hand motions indicating more and more frustration as he realized his inability to communicate.

Tears pricked Dean's eyes, but he refused to allow them to escape. Resting a hand on Sam's head, he shushed him, stilling his flailing hands. "Calm down, Sam, we're going to fix this! I'll be right back." Gesturing urgently to the angels, he walked just slightly away from his brother, then turned on his lover and the obnoxious archangel he tolerated. "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"He needs to be cared for," Castiel said. "He needs to learn to adapt."

"So, what, you and I take a year off of hunting to care for the invalid?" Dean demanded. "He would hate that, I would hate that, and you would hate that."

Castiel's face fell slightly, knowing Dean was right. Sam was fiercely independent and would not appreciate being coddled, but he would also hate being the reason Dean and Castiel stopped hunting, even if it was only temporary.

Gabriel sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wondering if he would regret this. "He'll stay with me. I can give him a steady flow of my grace. If anything can help him recover, that will. I could use a break from my own life, and babysitting the Sasquatch isn't a bad gig."

Dean looked at him skeptically, but Castiel nodded and turned to Dean. "It is the best option for Sam, Dean. He will have an actual chance of recovery with Gabriel, not just a chance at adapting to life with disability."

Dean still looked torn, but as his gaze fell on his helpless brother, he managed a nod. "I swear to God, Gabriel, if you pull any kind of crap with my brother..."

Gabriel made a face at him. "I know, you've stabbed me before, remember?" He winked at Dean before walking off and laying a hand on Sam. The two of them disappeared, leaving Castiel and Dean alone with the dead witches.

"Cas," Dean gasped, finally letting the full impact of the day's events sink in. He leaned against his angel for support. "I don't know what I'll do if..."

"Sam is in good hands, Dean," Castiel assured him, hugging the hunter tightly to his chest. "If anyone can save your brother now, it's Gabriel."


	2. Palace

Sam awoke with a groan, completely confused and panicked. All he could remember was a witch hunt that had ended poorly, and he had a vague memory of Dean speaking to him, but for some reason Sam couldn't reply.

A rush of clarity hit him and he tried to move his legs instinctively. Nothing. At the same moment he realized his eyes were open, but he couldn't see anything. He remembered from earlier that he couldn't talk either. What the hell?! What had that witch done? He had realized a beat late that she was chanting Enochian, which was never a good sign, but if he'd had the time to think about it he would have been afraid she'd kill him. He'd never have expected to end up so dysfunctional.

Could he make any noise at all? With all his effort, Sam managed to achieve a guttural yell, which sounded more like a wild animal than a man. Angered, Sam collapsed back against the pillows, realizing as he did so that he was on a ridiculously comfortable bed. Where the hell was he?

"Ah, Sam! Good, you're up! I thought those dulcet tones belonged to you!"

That voice.

Sam might have expected to hear Dean's voice, full of concern for him. Even Castiel's voice, laden with worry and confusion as it always seemed to be.

He would not have in a million years expected to hear Gabriel's voice.

Apparently, despite his lack of a voice, Sam still communicated pretty well with his facial expressions, because Gabriel was laughing.

"I know, I know. I'm probably not the voice you expected, or even wanted to hear, but hey, it could be worse. At least I like you. If I didn't, well, this whole situation could go down a whole lot differently." The bed dipped slightly, and Sam realized Gabriel must have sat down on the side.

"Mmph," Sam grunted, pleased that he could at least make some kind of noise, if not actual words. Gabriel liking him was a debatable fact. It was true that the archangel was a surprisingly agreeable presence nowadays, ever since he had saved the Winchesters from Lucifer, what he was still annoying. Dean hated Gabriel, only tolerating him because Castiel liked having his brother around, and because Gabriel had helped rescue Sam's soul. It was the latter fact that kept Sam from being too irritated at the archangel's presence. He vaguely remembered feeling Lucifer's surprise and his own as the archangel they had assumed to be dead tore Sam's soul out of Lucifer's grasp. Gabriel had explained how he tricked Lucifer later on, and cited a tendency to watch from the shadows as his reason for not letting them know he was alive sooner.

"Relax, kiddo. You're here for your own good. Now, before we do anything interesting, let me see if I can fix any of you yet."

Before he could make any kind of inquiring noise, Sam felt the warm glow of Gabriel's grace. Whatever the archangel was doing, it felt wonderful, and Sam immediately relaxed. "Mmmm..." The sound escaped without his permission.

"You slut," Gabriel chuckled affectionately, getting off the bed and moving around the room to the other side. "I had no idea you were so eager for me."

"Grrr..." Sam's rebuttal was lacking in the biting wit he intended, but his irritation came through at least.

"Look, I'm here to help you, Sam. To be blunt, you're pretty much screwed. You can't do hardly anything for yourself without help, so I volunteered for babysitting duty."

Sam made a questioning noise, wondering where Dean and Castiel were.

"If you're wondering about chucklehead and my baby bro, well they're off hunting. Or possibly having sex. It's hard to know for sure with those two anymore."

Sam made a face, not wanting that image in his head. As grateful as he was that the insane eyesex had calmed down, he still did not want to think about his brother and the angel engaging in actual sex. He refocused on the fact that he was stuck here with Gabriel of all people. Which brought to mind another question, where was here exactly? He wanted to ask, but knew he couldn't. The inability to communicate was really irritating.

"I know, I know, you love to talk. Don't worry, you'll get over the mute thing eventually. Maybe." Gabriel's voice was amused, obviously enjoying the one sided conversation.

Something occured to Sam, and he began to gesticulate wildly, not realizing that Gabriel wouldn't have a clue what he meant.

"Woah, woah! Slow down, Sammy! Use simple hand motions!" Gabriel's tone was similar to what you might use with a child, but Sam ignored him.

Very deliberately, Sam pointed at Gabriel, or where he imagined Gabriel was in the room, then mimed reading a book, then pointed to his own head.

_Not being able to talk is about the most inconvenient thing I have ever experienced, and to be stuck with Gabriel, of all the people in the world, is not making this experience any better! I don't even know where I am, which is especially disconcerting._

"Aw, Sam, I'm hurt! I thought you liked spending time with me! You're at my place, by the way. It's a palace." Gabriel said this nonchalantly and sat back down on the bed, making sniffing noises to accent his feigned offense.

Sam visibly relaxed, allowing the softness of the bed to sooth him, ignoring Gabriel's imagined slight.

_Oh thank God. Gabriel, don't abuse this, but I am hereby granting you an all access pass to my head. Seriously, please be tuned in. If I can't communicate, I will probably die from insanity._

"Hate to break it to you, Sam, but I think you're already nuts," Gabriel chuckled.

_Shut up._

"You can't just tell an archangel to shut up!" Gabriel protested with mock sincerity. "I might smite you or something!"

_I would love to see you explain that one to Dean and Cas._

There was a pause, then Gabriel began chuckling. "All right, fair enough. Are you sure you want me in your head, kiddo? I have to say, I do miss our witty repartee, but we're going to be here for awhile. I'd kind of like to keep things amiable, you know?"

_Since when are you the poster child for positive relationships?_

"I know, I know. Seriously though, it's my job to try and heal you. I wasn't just giving you my grace for kicks; Dean and Cas are trusting me with trying to reverse this curse. It's going to take a long time though. Like, I wouldn't even imagine you'll see any progress for at least a year, if anything happens at all. This could be permanent, Sammy." Gabriel sighed, as though deflating. "You're always so strong, it's just hard to see a Winchester down."

_Look, Gabe..._

"Gabe?"

_Shut up, Dean started calling Castiel Cas after knowing him for five friggin minutes. I can abbreviate if I feel like it._

"Course you can. Continue."

_Look, I appreciate the babysitting...I guess...but why? Why do you need to try and fix me?_

Gabriel was confused, and it showed in his tone. "What, you don't want to be fixed?"

_I'm not saying that. It's just, I'm already broken in a lot of ways. Now there's just physical manifestations. Why do you suddenly need to fix me?_

"Sam, listen to me. If there's even a chance in hell that I can get you back to normal and on the road with our brothers again, I'm going to do it. Cas loves your brother. Passionately. There's nothing my baby brother wouldn't do for that chucklehead. If anything happens to you, Dean's going to spiral, and Cas will spiral with him. Believe it or not, I volunteered to try and fix you because I love my family, and I'll be damned if I see any of them going down the drain. That includes you, Sam. I may irritate the crap out of you, but at least I care."

_That's probably the closest thing to humanity I've ever heard come out of you._

"Yeah, well, don't get too used to it."

_It's a good thing, Gabe. Take the compliment._

"Sure, sure."

_Besides, you don't irritate me that much anymore. You're annoying, sure, but it's not always a bad thing._

Gabriel made a small noise of approval before asking, "Do you need anything?"

_Uh...nothing I really want you to help me with._

"Relax, Sasquatch." Gabriel snapped his fingers, and the uncomfortable feeling Sam had been managing vanished. "You can't get up, and I'm not helping you to the toilet, so I'm patenting angelic waste management."

_Oh c'mon, Gabe, that's freaking disgusting._

"You want me to let you crap your pants?"

_...No._

"Then shut up."

_You can't just tell a hunter to shut up, I might shoot you or something._

Gabriel's laughter filled the room. "Well played, Sam, well played. I'm going to go get something to eat. Try not to go anywhere before I get back."

 _Ass_.

"Why thank you, it's one of my better features!" Gabriel's laughter continued to echo as he walked out of the room and down a hallway, leaving Sam lying on the bed with his face blazing.


	3. Waiting

Much to Sam's relief, Gabriel was not only pouring grace into him in an attempt to heal him, he was also sustaining Sam's body. Considering the amount of time Sam was going to spend not moving at all, the fact that he wasn't going to wither away from lack of exercise was reassuring.

It was also weirdly soothing to have Gabriel around. Sam had always assumed that the archangel kept busy smiting idiots, like he had been known to do in the past, but for some reason the archangel was content to spend all of his time with Sam for now.

Even more odd was how accommodating Gabriel was to Sam. Even an errant thought about missing Dean, which wasn't even directed towards Gabriel, was resolved with a phone call. Gabriel put the phone on speaker and relayed all of Sam's thoughts to Dean, since the younger Winchester still couldn't speak.

If that hadn't been enough, Gabriel was also playing a near constant stream of audiobooks for Sam. The hunter had never read so much in one sitting in his life. For every book that ended, Gabriel had a new one to listen to, and he seemed perfect content to sit and listen to the books with Sam, not commenting or interrupting at any point unless Sam thought a question at him first.

It had taken Sam a little while to get used to having Gabriel inside his head all the time, but the archangel wasn't rude about it, and it was comforting to be able to communicate. Having Gabriel hear his every thought was a little more intimate than he'd ever expected to get with an angel of any kind, but he found that he loved having the connection more than he would have expected. There was a lot about Gabriel that he discovered he liked. Even the archangel's tendency to call him Sammy rather than Sam was endearing rather than irritating. The only time Dean was able to get away with it was when he had legitimate reason to be concerned. With Gabriel, it was a term of endearment, and Sam really didn't mind having that.

Above all, however, the best part about living with Gabriel so far was Gabriel's ability to keep away Sam's nightmares.

Two days into Sam's stay at Gabriel's palace, which was still literally all he knew about his current residence, Sam began screaming a horrible guttural sound, his nightmare of Lucifer's tortures having taken a nastier turn than usual.

The light in the room turned on, a fact that he was mutely aware of due to the snapping sound of the light switch, and suddenly he felt Gabriel's strong grip on his shoulders.

"SAMMY!" Gabriel yelled, shaking the hunter awake. "It's a dream, wake up, kiddo!"

Sam slowly came back to the world of the living, his breath hitching in panicked gasps, forgetting to form coherent thoughts for Gabriel and instead crying out with his limited vocal ability, his panic increasing as he realized he wasn't forming words.

"Woah, easy there. Calm down, then think for me. Are you okay?" Gabriel sat down next to Sam, an arm around the taller man's shoulders for comfort.

Sam slowly regained control, enough to communicate with the archangel.  _Yes, I'll be fine._

"Right." Gabriel said skeptically. "I've never heard anyone sound that terrified in my life. What the hell were you dreaming about?"

Before Sam could stop himself, the dream flooded his memory, playing out in detail for Gabriel against Sam's wishes.

Gabriel hissed in reaction, his grip on Sam's shoulders tightening. "You are not in the cage anymore, Sammy," he said firmly. "My demented brother will never touch you or your soul again, and you are safe here."

 _I'm fine, Gabe._  Sam thought at him tiredly.  _These dreams aren't new. I have one every night. Sometimes they're just worse than others. I can handle it._

"This is screwed up, Sam. I'm not going to just let you suffer through this crap. If I had helped Cas when he tried to pull you out the first time, your soul might not have been so badly damaged. I didn't know you'd been having nightmares every night or I would have done something about it by now." Gabriel sighed angrily.

 _I don't blame you at all_ , Sam thought at Gabriel with surprise.  _I'm eternally grateful to you and Cas for saving me in the first place. That's more than enough, I don't need any more from either of you. I'm sure I'm the least of your worries._

Gabriel made an irritated noise, but didn't reply to that. "I'm going to stay here," he informed Sam. "If you start dreaming of hell again, I'll provide a temporary block until morning to keep your mind clear."

_You don't have to-_

"Shut up, Sam. Just let me help, okay?"

_Fine._

As it turned out, the block wasn't necessary. After a few nights of trial and error, it became clear that merely Gabriel's presence in the room would result in a nightmare-free night for Sam. After that, Gabriel rarely left Sam's side.

After nearly two weeks of lying on a bed with nothing to do but listen to audiobooks and talk to Gabriel, Sam suddenly discovered that he could move the big toe on his left foot.

 _Gabe!_  He thought as loudly as he could. The archangel had gone to assist Castiel and Dean with some complicated hunt they were on, promising to be back for Sam within the hour. If Sam's inner clock was right, Gabriel had only been gone for about half an hour, but his absence felt like a hole to the hunter. Sam was also jealous of Gabriel's ability to help their brothers. Sam would do anything to be back on the road again.

A swoosh of wings caught Sam's attention, and he twitched his head towards the sound.

"Perfect timing, Sammy," Gabriel said pleasantly. "I literally just gave our brothers the smoking gun they needed for their hunt. What's up?"

 _Watch my feet_ , Sam commanded.

Making a noise of amusement, Gabriel shifted slightly in response.

With all the effort he could muster, Sam made the one toe he could affect move.

There was a pause, then Gabriel was whooping. "ALL RIGHT!" He crowed, jumping up and down before bounding onto the bed to give Sam a hug. "Finally!"

 _It's a toe, Gabe. I still can't walk. Or talk. Or see._ Sam hated feeling so pessimistic, but if the only progress two weeks had made was a twitching toe, that was hardly encouraging.

"You know what this means, right, kiddo?" Gabriel demanded. Without waiting for an answer he continued, "The fact that you're even a little bit better means that this could actually work. Before there was a snowball's chance in hell that I could fix you. Now, we actually have a chance. It's a relief. My grace is having a bigger effect on you than I realized."

Sam's thoughts at that comment drifted to how comforting Gabriel's presence was and how much his absence affected Sam before realizing that Gabriel was perfectly capable of hearing all of that. He felt his cheeks go red at the realization, but Gabriel did not respond to the thoughts in the hunter's head, and Sam relaxed.

 _You're right, Gabe,_  Sam thought, trying to put away his weird thoughts of how much he seemed to care for the archangel.  _I'll try to be more optimistic. Thank you, for, you know, trying. It means a lot._

There was an uncomfortable silence before Gabriel finally managed to reply with, "I'm happy to be here, Sam. I'll be right back, I'm going to go get some more audiobooks."

The fact that Gabriel was perfectly capable of snapping the books into existence made Sam wonder if the archangel had heard his weird attachment to him after all. Was he freaked out by their sudden connection? Or maybe it was just one sided, and Gabriel wanted to keep him from getting too attached.

Not comfortable with this line of thinking, Sam forced himself to relax until Gabriel got back, focusing all his attention on moving his suddenly un-cursed toe. Gabriel was right. Even slow progress was still progress.


	4. Attachment

Gabriel watched the younger Winchester sleep, his expression calm and serene the way it wasn't when he was awake. Gabriel was used to seeing the hunter frustrated and sullen these days, but when he was asleep, all his worries faded away and he looked like the most at peace creature in the world. Listening to his thoughts, Gabriel knew that Sam credited him almost entirely with the relative contentment he felt in Gabriel's home. Gabriel couldn't quite bring himself to respond to that, so he allowed Sam to believe that he was not privy to the hunter's growing positive opinion of him.

Truth be told, he had a stronger attachment to Sam Winchester than he did anyone, even his own brothers. Sure, if Castiel was injured or in need of assistance, Gabriel was there in a heartbeat. He loved his baby brother. With Sam though, the feeling was different. It wasn't that he couldn't help but care for Sam, as was the case with Castiel. He had chosen to care about Sam. He had chosen to try and teach Sam how to live without Dean. He had chosen to try and teach Sam that saying yes to Lucifer was the way to go to save the most people. Actually, Sam had reversed that and ended up teaching him why he was wrong to believe in that particular ending. Ultimately, Gabriel had very nearly sacrificed his own life to try and save the Winchesters, but mainly Sam. He just couldn't bear the idea of Lucifer taking over the hunter.

Of course, Gabriel's injuries after his fight with Lucifer had been practically fatal, but he had still managed to fool Lucifer and eventually heal himself. Working with the Winchesters so closely had left him with a growing concern for the well being of the younger hunter, and as a result he had spent months watching Sam's every move. Castiel knew of his presence, of course, but was wise enough not to speak of it. What he did not know was how intense of a bond Gabriel felt with Sam. It was different from the profound bond that Castiel and Dean shared. As far as Gabriel was concerned, his own bond with Sam was one sided.

That was why Sam's appreciation and growing affection for him worried Gabriel. He cared more for the hunter than for any other living creature. He would do anything for Sam, and that ranged from going back in time to get him an extinct pet to making out with him. Gabriel's attachment to Sam was stronger than any other experience he had ever felt. Sam, on the other hand, was not affected by this bond the way Dean was affected by his connection to Castiel. Sam had been lifted out of hell partially by Gabriel, but not with the same kind of intimacy Castiel had risen Dean with.

The fact that Sam enjoyed having Gabriel around and really cared about him made Gabriel uncomfortable. He didn't want things to culminate in a relationship like their brothers. Well, that wasn't true. Gabriel would give anything for Sam's love, and would do anything to keep the hunter forever. He was terrified of Sam wanting him though. There was no way Sam could ever truly desire Gabriel, and even if he thought he did, Gabriel wasn't sure if he could protect himself from the disappointment that would inevitably come when he realized that their bond lacked that mutual yearning present in their brothers' relationship.

As Gabriel allowed himself brief glances into Sam's peaceful dreams, he used the hunter's mind to calm himself. It was weird at first, seeing how many of Sam's non-nightmares included Gabriel in some form, but he had gotten used to it. Usually these dreams were just conversations. In front of a waterfall, in the woods, on a ferris wheel, and even in this very room, though the details were vastly off, considering Sam had a description-only perception of what it looked like. In these dreams, Gabriel always looked really happy, and Sam always looked overjoyed. There was no subtext to the encounters, just what Gabriel already knew. Sam cared about him.

It really wasn't enough for Gabriel, but he would make it enough. It would not be fair to either one of them to push a relationship that wouldn't work in the first place.

A change in the tone of Sam's dream caught Gabriel's attention, and he refocused.

_"Thank you for caring for me, Gabe," Sam said with a smile, catching the archangel's hand in his with ease._

_"Of course, Sam," Gabriel said with pleasure. "You know I'd do anything for you."_

_"Anything?"_

_Gabriel smiled broadly. "Anything!"_

_"Then kiss me."_

Gabriel almost withdrew from Sam's mind in shock. Instead, he managed to watch as the dream representations of the two men kissed softly by the side of a babbling stream. In real life, Sam's face was painted with a satisfied smile, and he made a murmuring noise as he shifted slightly.

One suggestive dream does not a difference make, Gabriel tried to tell himself. He took a deep breath, dwelling on the kiss. How many times had he thought about Sam in that light? What was making Sam think of him now? If it was just the fact that Gabriel was caring for him now, perhaps it was temporary. There was no way he would ever dream of taking advantage of the hunter if that proved to be the case.

A small buzzing noise alerted Gabriel that Dean was trying to get a hold of him. He only carried around the mobile phone as a gesture. Castiel was always with Dean and could alert him with just as much speed, but Dean seemed to like being able to call him.

When he opened the phone, he saw that it was not a call, but a text.

Dean Winchester: Hey, between hunts. Any chance I can see Sam?

Gabriel gnawed on the inside of his lip. Sam was the only human he'd ever allowed into his palace. Castiel had been there, but only briefly, and he had never been an extended guest. Still, Dean was Sam's family, and it would probably do Sam some good to be able to actually have contact with his brother. In addition to that, Gabriel had not had a deep conversation with Castiel in a while, and some brotherly bonding might be nice. Resigned to this plan, Gabriel shot Dean a text back, then relaxed back against his chair, his eyes on Sam once more.

Gabriel: Sure. Tomorrow morning. Cas knows where I am. Bring chocolate.


	5. Brothers

"Are you ready, Dean?" Castiel asked in a cautious voice, letting his hand hover in the air with uncertainty.

Dean rolled his eyes. "It's fine, Cas. Just zap us."

"I know you dislike my particular method of transportation," Castiel tried again.

"I said it's fine. I just want to see Sam, and I'm pretty sure I can't drive to wherever Gabriel stashed him." Dean huffed as he referenced the archangel, then approached his own angel. "Let's just go."

Castiel finally nodded. "It is true that Gabriel is not currently in an easily accessible location. Now, if you feel ill after we travel, let me know so I can heal you."

Dean let a small smile loose at the angel's concern and nodded. "Really, Cas, I'll be fine. Can we just go now?"

Castiel nodded once and pressed his hand to Dean's arm.

Stumbling slightly as they landed, Dean blinked a few times and shook his head. "Never gunna get used to that," he muttered. At that moment, he noticed the palace in front of him. It was reminiscent of Cinderella's Castle at DisneyWorld, but more ornate and sophisticated. He turned to gap at Castiel. "He has a freaking palace?!" Dean demanded.

"Gabriel is an angel of rather elaborate tastes," Castiel offered by way of explanation. He stepped up and knocked once on the door, which was much larger than him and decorated ornately.

The door swung open a mere second later, revealing the archangel who was grinning broadly. "Hey, bro! Hey, chucklehead! Welcome to Chez Gabriel!" He held his arm out to welcome them in, sticking his tongue out when Dean glared at him.

"Hello, brother," Castiel greeted him with affection.

"Hey, trouble," Dean said far less warmly. "Where's the invalid?"

"Down the hall. He would like you to know that he can hear you and you're a jerk." Gabriel smirked and led the way, an annoyed Dean trailing behind.

Dean rolled his eyes and followed Gabriel, letting his irritation fall away as he caught sight of his little brother. Not that Sam had ever really been little. It had been years since Dean had been able to claim height over him. Somehow Sam seemed smaller this way though. He was laying on a huge bed, but his eyes were staring blankly at the wall, clearly unseeing. He didn't bother to open his mouth, though he did wave in the general direction of the door as they walked in. His lack of movement anywhere else proved that he was still paralyzed from the waist down at least.

Castiel's face fell at the sight, still apparently feeling guilty for being unable to prevent the curse in the first place.

Dean looked worried, but tried not to let that filter into his tone as he spoke. "Hey there, Sam. How's the leprechaun treating you?"

Sam grinned at that and his head turned infinitesimally towards where he could somehow sense Gabriel's presence, and his brow furrowed slightly in concentration.

Gabriel was glaring at Dean, but he relaxed at some unspoken communication from Sam and took a seat on the bed next to Sam's head. "Sam says I'm behaving myself so you should too. Also, don't sound so worried, he's bored, not dead."

Dean chuckled at that and took a seat at the foot of Sam's bed. Castiel stood beside him, feeling awkward.

Gabriel glanced towards Castiel and looked puzzled. "Why do you look so nervous, Cas?" He asked curiously.

Sam twitched at that, and he nudged Gabriel meaningfully.

"Uh, Sam says that you shouldn't feel guilty about the curse thing. It's not your job to save him, and it was his own fault for letting the witch get the drop on him." Gabriel finished Sam's thought, then turned to face the hunter. "Don't blame yourself for this either, Sam," he said firmly. "It's the stupid witch's fault. You didn't do anything to deserve a curse."

Sam gave Gabriel a bitch face, and Dean got the impression that they had already had similar conversations. Curious about that, he asked, "Why does Gabriel get to play interpreter, dude? Why on earth would you let him in your head?"

Gabriel scowled again, but relayed Sam's reply. "He was going to go nuts if he couldn't communicate, and he surprisingly doesn't mind my company."

Sam seemed irritated with something Gabriel had said, but Gabriel didn't alter his statement.

"I'd mind your company," Dean grumbled.

Sam rolled his eyes, despite the fact that he couldn't see out of them, and Dean grinned in response. "Oh, c'mon, Sam! Can you blame me? The guy's a pain in the ass!"

Gabriel elected not to reply to that personally, but on Sam's behalf said, "You're perfectly capable of being a pain in the ass too." As an afterthought, Gabriel tacked on, "Plus, I provide Sam with candy and books, so I'm like the best friend ever."

Sam laughed, a sound that sounded a little off because of his vocal condition, but was unmistakably a laugh.

"He says I'm dead right about that," Gabriel added.

Dean was the one to roll his eyes this time. "Whatever. Do you think he and I could just, I don't know, hang out for a little while? You guys go be angel brothers or something. I haven't spent any time with Sam in..." Dean drifted off, not sure when the last time it had been just the two of them was.

Gabriel glanced towards Sam automatically, then nodded. "Sure. I guess you guys can use the tap once for yes, twice for no system, right?" He chuckled and clapped a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "C'mon, bro, let's go hang out by the pool."

Sam looked up at that, his expression surprised.

"Of course I have a pool, Sam!" Gabriel said with feigned dignity, answering the unspoken question. "What self respecting palace owner doesn't have a pool?"

Sam grinned and gave Gabriel a small wave, turning his head towards Dean once he felt the angels vanish.

"So..." Dean trailed off. "Seriously, you're cool with Gabriel?"

Sam gave him a small smile and held up his hand and gave the sign language for yes, a fist moving up and down.

"Heh, I remember learning that stuff," Dean reminisced. "Dad got so pissed when you and I almost blew that hunt, and he made us learn basic signs so we wouldn't talk." He made a face at that. "You were way better at that. Alright, yes or no questions. So, really? Gabriel's not driving you nuts?"

Sam shook his head and simultaneous made the sign for no.

"I'd be up the wall with him around all the time. What do you guys even do?" Dean took a minute to realize that question was too open ended. "Right, sorry. Uh...he said books? How are you reading?"

Sam pointed to his ears, then in the general direction of the opposite wall.

Dean followed that line of direction until he saw the stereo with a pile of audiobooks next to it. "Huh. That's actually a good idea, especially since you can't really do anything else. Do you guys get along?"

Sam signed yes again and looked content.

Dean paused for a second, not sure he wanted to ask this. "What about...you know, Lucifer? The nightmares? Is that still happening? It was pretty bad before..." He stopped, not really wanting to remember all the times Sam had woken up screaming. Not even Castiel could stop the nightmares.

Looking relaxed, despite the nature of the question, Sam gave the sign for no.

"Wait, what? How'd they stop?" Dean asked with surprise.

Sam pointed to where Gabriel had been sitting, then at his head, then made the sign for peace with two fingers.

It took Dean a second to get it. "Did Gabriel make the nightmares stop?" Sam shook his head. "So, what, him just being here makes them go away?" Sam nodded this time. "Dude, you're forming some freaky codependency here." Dean easily caught the pillow Sam chucked at his head and tossed it back to his disabled brother.

"Kidding!" Dean exclaimed with a laugh. "Seriously. It's just kind of weird that you two are so close. I mean, I've always found the guy irritating, but I guess he's good for you. Plus, between almost dying for us before and taking care of you now, I guess he's all right."

Sam smiled and nodded in agreement.

Dean glanced towards the spot where the two angels had vanished. "I wonder what our angels are talking about." He mused.

* * *

Gabriel lounged next to the pool, pulling Castiel down into an awkward sitting position beside him. "So, how's things with the less attractive Winchester?"

Castiel's head cocked slightly. "I have not been with Sam lately, Gabriel, you have." He said, confused.

Glaring at him for a second, Gabriel relaxed and rolled his eyes. "I was kidding, Cas, and I can't tell if you were or not. I meant Dean. I'm partial to Sam, myself."

"I am aware of your preference, Gabriel," Castiel said awkwardly. "Thankfully Dean is not, or you might find yourself, as he likes to threaten, 'deep-fried extra crispy in holy oil.'"

Gabriel laughed out loud. "I'd like to see him try," he scoffed. "Really though, it's not like I've got dishonorable intentions or anything. I've been a perfect gentleman."

Castiel nodded, pleased. "I am glad. Has your relationship altered at all, given his dependence on you at the moment?"

Nodding slightly, Gabriel looked concerned. "Yeah, actually, it has, and I can't figure out what I want to do about it."

"What do you mean?" Castiel asked, confused.

"It's just..." Gabriel trailed off before launching into a monologue. "It's just that I don't see Sam as just another human. I care about him deeply, on this crazy personal level I've never had before. Being away from him just hurts, and it's only the fact that I can still feel his presence in my house that I'm not going nuts right now. He's starting to have all these positive feelings towards me, like gratitude and caring and loyalty, but I don't think he's going to ever be as crazy about me as I am about him. I freaking love the guy, Cas, and I don't know what the hell to do about it. There's no way that hunter is ever going to love me in that way, and I don't think I can stop myself from doing something stupid about it. If he thinks he loves me, I would act on that in a heartbeat, but it wouldn't be right, and I'd get hurt because he wouldn't have the same degree of commitment to it that I do. Not that he does love me, at least not that I know about, but I can't do anything about it regardless. It's just so confusing, Cas! And here I am venting to the one angel who is the most oblivious in all of Heaven, so I'm not even sure what you can do to help." Gabriel let out a deep breath slowly.

"Are you done?" Castiel finally asked, amused.

"Yeah," Gabriel said sullenly.

"Gabriel, I love you, but you are an idiot," Castiel said bluntly.

"I beg your pardon?" Gabriel asked, his mouth gaping. He was still technically Castiel's superior, and was usually treated as such despite the fact that Gabriel certainly didn't ask for that kind of respect, so the fact that the angel was insulting him was way past surprising.

"My apologies, considering your rank, but as your brother, I have to tell you how foolish you are. You believe that you are the only one in that relationship capable of true love? You vastly underestimate Sam Winchester, and I will not see the two of you go down for your inability to value him properly." Castiel was frowning now, his gaze intense.

"I...no...that's not what I meant!" Gabriel blurted, feeling awkward.

"You're afraid of getting hurt," Castiel stated, waiting until Gabriel nodded before continuing. "So is he, I guarantee it. Both of those brothers have grown up losing everyone they've ever cared about. It took Dean many months to realize that he could actually count on me to be there. Let Sam learn to count on you. It wouldn't hurt to let him see a piece of your heart as well. If he feels that his affections are one sided, he will hide them more securely."

"I'm only baring my grace to the guy everyday, Cas," Gabriel grumbled.

"Not your angelic power, Gabriel," Castiel corrected. "Your heart. How you feel."

Gabriel was quiet for a moment, before sighing and nodding. "Why are you the one that's so freaking knowledgeable about human emotions?" He muttered.

"I found that I was required to be well versed in order to understand the vast complexities of my mate," Castiel explained with a small smirk.

"Yeah," Gabriel said with another sigh. "Damn Winchesters."


	6. Feelings

Sam had been disappointed when Dean had to leave, but the fact that he had been able to visit at all was a huge load off Sam's mind. Worrying about his brother was always occupying part of his attention, and getting to have a pseudo-conversation with Dean was really helpful.

Of course, they hadn't really been able to talk about the stuff Sam would have liked, given that Gabriel was their only form of real communication. Sam wasn't quite ready to completely betray how much he cared about the archangel. He knew Dean would probably freak, but Dean already had his own angel. If anyone would understand and be able to help, it was probably Dean. Unfortunately, Sam didn't know sign language for 'I might be falling for an archangel.'

The telltale swoosh of wings alerted Sam to Gabriel's reentry, and he smiled automatically.  _Hey, how was bonding time with Cas?_

Gabriel made a snorting noise. "Fine, how was the Winchester sitcom in here?"

_A little one-sided, but we made it work. He mostly just triple-checked that you weren't bothering the hell out of me._

This time Gabriel's reaction noise was irritated. "I know you love your brother, Sam, but sometimes I'd like to rip his head off."

 _You already did that, remember?_ Sam thought pointedly, allowing the memory of a mountain lion tearing Dean's head off to run through his head. That had been one of their nastier Tuesdays. Dean had almost made it to midnight when the window had shattered and the mountain lion had burst into the room. That had been Sam's first major clue that no matter what he did, Dean was going to die. How late into the day he managed to survive usually dictated the level of creativity in how he died.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that."

_No you're not._

"No, I'm not. It was unbelievably satisfying. Sorry about making you watch though; that was mean. I'm not always as helpful as I intend to be."

 _That apology I believe_ , Sam thought with a smile.  _Don't worry about it though. I forgave you for all the Tuesdays a long time ago. Hell, I even forgave you for giving me herpes._

Gabriel barked a laugh. "Oh man, you should have seen the look on your face! I mean, yeah, the TV Land thing was ill advised too, but I've got some priceless memories out of that escapade!"

Sam was chuckling too.  _Yeah, getting smacked in the nuts with a bowling ball is a memory I'll cherish forever._

Gabriel snorted. "Hey, it isn't my fault you don't speak Japanese!"

_It's entirely your fault that I actually bought a book and tried to learn._

Surprise colored Gabriel's tone. "You seriously tried to learn Japanese because of that?"

_Well, not entirely, I just thought it'd be useful. You know, for the next time an archangel with a focus on my genitals decided to get creative._

"I'm not...I mean I wasn't..." Gabriel blustered.

Sam laughed out loud.  _Chill, Gabe, I'm kidding. It's cool. I know you did everything for a reason, and I understand you a lot better now. I know you know better than to try and teach me any more lessons with that particular method._

Gabriel chuckled. "Yeah, that never really seems to work out anyway."

_I'm just stubborn. Hey, the procedural cop drama was fun though._

Gabriel snickered at that. "You guys came up with some great lines for that one. I think it was my favorite. Either that or Dr. Sexy M.D. The fact that Dean was such a fan made it too perfect."

_You should see him when he watches a new episode. It's hilarious._

"I'd love to," Gabriel replied with a grin. "I'm sure it's highly entertaining."

_Sometimes I'm kind of glad I'm the nerd._

"You sure are," Gabriel said affectionately. "But hey, I love you anyway."

Sam's mind went blank for a second as he froze, not sure how to respond. Did Gabriel mean that in a brotherly love sense, or was he alluding to romantic love? Sam hadn't figured out his own feelings yet, and he was nowhere near ready to have that kind of conversation with Gabriel. If they moved too fast, this whole thing could be blown before it had had a chance to begin. He really wanted it to have a chance to begin.

"I mean," Gabriel tried to tack on, "You're my favorite human. Given that the only other real contender is Dean, that can't be a shocker."

Sam managed to let out a breathy laugh.  _Well, you're my favorite angel by a mile, so I guess we're on the same page._

"How am I your favorite angel?" Gabriel said with disbelief. "You've known Cas for years, and you get along fine. I've been a pain in your ass as long as you've known me."

 _Well, yeah, but Cas has always been Dean's angel. We get along, sure, but for years he just looked at me like I was about to explode or go dark side or something. We're good now, but there's all this weird tension we had to get past. You've never treated me like I was something freakish or damaged. You've just accepted me as I am, and you don't shy away from the broken bits. It makes an impact._  By the time Sam finished this inner monologue, which was a little bit more personal than he'd intended to get, his cheeks were pink with embarrassment. He knew what Dean meant by hating chick flick moments.

"Don't sweat it, Sammy," Gabriel said softly, moving closer to the hunter and putting his arm around his shoulders. "If there's one thing I can be, despite all our issues, it's your angel."

Relaxing against Gabriel, Sam smiled and made a small noise of contentment.  _I like the sound of that_ , he thought, pleased.

Rather than respond, Gabriel began to absentmindedly play with Sam's hair, grinning when Sam's thoughts betrayed that he liked it.

 _Thanks for letting Dean come visit,_  Sam thought suddenly.  _I know he drives you nuts, but I miss him more than I expected to. It's good to just know he's alive and still bitchy, you know?_

Gabriel laughed at that. "I know, kiddo, trust me. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't ever checked on any of my brothers over the years. Especially the younger ones, like Cas. It's just nice to know they're doing okay."

_Exactly. Anyway, like I said, thanks. It's really nice to know that you, you know, care. In your own way._

Hesitating for a moment, Gabriel leaned down and brushed his lips across Sam's forehead. "Of course, Sammy. Always."


	7. Fighting

A week had gone by since Dean's visit, and Sam was finding himself growing more and more bored with the books Gabriel was bringing him. They were all good, and he was definitely learning a lot, but his inability to do anything else was weighing on him.

Gabriel picked up on the wordless emotion flowing through Sam's mind, and one afternoon he simply turned off the book and moved to Sam's bed, sitting beside him with his back to the headboard and an arm slung over the hunter's shoulders.

 _Why'd you stop the book?_  Sam thought.

"Because, you just looked too enthralled with the proper method of finding an appropriate mate in the bullfrog world. Seriously though, you've been grumpy for a while now. If you're bored with the books, we can do something else." Gabriel's tone was joking, but there was an undercurrent of concern to his words.

_It's not that, I'm just getting restless, I guess. I want something different._

"We could watch porn," Gabriel suggested cheekily. "I'm sure it's a whole different experience when all you have is audio."

 _Over my dead body, Gabe._ Sam thought emphatically.

Chuckling, Gabriel asked, "What then?"

_Do you think that...no, never mind._

Being in Sam's head, Gabriel managed to pick out the question Sam had shied away from asking. "You want to know more about my history?" He asked, surprised.

 _Well, you were Loki for a long time. I love mythology, you know that. I just think it might be interesting. We don't have to if you don't want to talk about it though._  Sam's thoughts were tinged with concern for Gabriel's comfort.

"I'm fine, Sammy, don't worry about my mental health. Let's see, good stories from the old days. Anyone in particular you want to know about?"

 _Thor_ , Sam thought immediately.  _And any of the Egyptian gods._

Gabriel gave a small snort at that response. "Thor and I did not get along," he said passively. "The guy was always so tense. He hit me with that freak hammer a few times too. Trust me, only a smiting by the hand of God is worse than the bone-crushing pain of that stupid hammer."

Sam was laughing at that.  _Did you prank him?_

"Oh yeah, loads of times. Why do you think we didn't get along? I had some friends in the Egyptian community though." Gabriel's voice grew wistful, as though remembering old times.

_Like who?_

"I always liked Isis. She was so determined, and that woman did not stand for crap from anybody. She found me amusing though, and I gave her some ideas in her battle against Set. Her husband, Osiris, I liked a lot less. He was freakishly grumpy. I guess that's what happens when your brother kills you and you end up ruling the dead. Still, he could have lightened up a little." Gabriel's tone grew irritable.

_It's so weird to hear about this stuff like it really happened. I mean, I know it did, but it was always stories when I was a kid._

"Most stories start in fact, kiddo. Pretty much any dark myth about the gods you've heard? Probably darker. Any happy myth you've heard? Faked, and whatever really happened was way darker. These guys were all evil and vicious. You know that half the time I didn't actually kill people with my Trickster shtick? The ones I did kill were mostly to appease the rest of the gods. If they thought I was too soft, I would have been in big trouble." Gabriel sounded upset about that, but didn't elaborate.

 _So, you started killing out of peer pressure?_  Sam laced his words with sarcasm.

"Careful, Sammy, you're treading on thin ice there. Everything I did while part of the mythological pantheon of pagan gods was better than staying in Heaven." Gabriel's tone grew dark.

_Why did you leave Heaven in the first place? What was so bad that becoming a murderer for a bunch of gods was a better option?_

"Seriously, Sam, drop it," Gabriel warned.

_Sorry, I'm not trying to make you mad or anything. I just honestly don't get it. Why won't you explain it to me? I mean, I know you're a better person now._

"Dammit, Sam!" Gabriel exploded, jumping off the bed in irritation. "I haven't changed a lick since my time with the gods. I'm still selfish, irritable, prone to smiting, and find it entertaining to execute idiots! Don't you dare presume to think I've changed; you barely even know me!" Muttering in Enochian under his breath, Gabriel finally gave up trying to calm down and flew out of the room, leaving Sam alone.

Shock and fear were the primary emotions on Sam's face. He had honestly not even remotely intended to anger Gabriel, and he wasn't even sure what it was that he'd said wrong. He hadn't meant to push too hard. He would understand if Gabriel didn't want to talk about Heaven, but why couldn't the archangel just say that? Resigning himself to his solitude, Sam took a deep calming breath and tried to fall asleep.

* * *

Sam was barely asleep when he was attacked within his own mind.

_"Well, well, well! Look who decided to finally show up! What happened, did the guardian angel abandon you?" Lucifer's taunting voice cut through Sam like a razor blade as he realized with terror that he was in hell._

_"Leave me alone," Sam said weakly, knowing that there was no escaping the cage, even in his dreams._

_"Right, because I have another source of entertainment waiting around the corner. Keep dreaming, Sam." With a snap of his fingers, Lucifer had Sam chained to a rack, his plaid shirt open and hanging off his muscular frame. "I've always liked this canvas, Sam. It's so much fun to cut up." Testing the sharpness of a jagged knife, Lucifer quickly plunged it into Sam's gut, twisting it violently before pulling it out and sealing the wound. "I love being able to clean my canvas so I can keep marking it up," Lucifer said with glee._

_Sam had been able to keep silent until the knife twisted, and he let out a shriek of pain that caused delight to form on Lucifer's face._

_"Ooh, that's a beautiful noise! Let's see where we can get with the little blades, shall we?" Lucifer began to carve with a master's skill into Sam's chest, making some kind of design. When he finished, he gestured to the wounds that were pouring blood with pride. "That's 'abomination' in Enochian," he said with a grin._

_That got a moan of anguish out of Sam, who let a few tears slip free._

_"There, there, Sam! We've only just begun! I want to skin the bottoms of your feet, remove all your nails, burn off that ridiculous hair, and maybe replace your eyes with coals. For an appetizer, of course. How does that sound? Of course, while I work on you you can watch my demons go to work on Dean, the worthless excuse for a Righteous Man, Castiel, the traitorous angel, and Gabriel, the brother I should have made sure was dead. You know how I love making you watch your loved ones suffer. Of course, they don't care about you. Castiel always thought of you as the abomination. Dean is just tired of cleaning up after your mistakes, and Gabriel is only taking care of you because Castiel asked him to. He doesn't want to be with you, why would he? You're just my corrupt vessel. You serve no function other than to house me, and you failed at that. Gabriel sees a broken and filthy human, not a proud and successful hunter you seem to think you are. You are worthless, Sam Winchester, and everyone around you knows it."_

Outside of Sam's mind, a swoosh of wings signaled the reappearance of Gabriel, but he was too late to stop the nightmare. He desperately shook Sam's shoulders, trying to jolt him out of it, but Sam was too far into it to be woken now.

Sitting dejectedly beside the hunter, Gabriel winced at every scream, moan of pain, whimper of fear, and even the tears that came out of Sam. The archangel's eyes betrayed his own fear at what his selfish tantrum had done to the man he loved. Broken, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Sammy."


	8. Aftermath

Gabriel sat beside Sam's unconscious form, his expression frozen halfway between pain and rage. He could barely move he was so weak. He had spent the previous evening pouring an incredible amount of his grace into the younger Winchester, and just when he had managed to achieve a calmness in Sam, the hunter would start screaming again and Gabriel would have to work harder. Gabriel couldn't forgive himself for leaving after such a stupid argument. How could he possibly claim to love the hunter if he could so callously abandon him to Lucifer?

For some reason, these memories of hell were too real and vivid in Sam's head to be blocked once he was in them deep enough. Lucifer wasn't actually attacking him, but Sam had enough material from being trapped with him to form a freakishly real prison inside his own head. Sam had been quiet for a couple of hours now, but Gabriel knew that his mind was still trapped, and the archangel's radical grace expenditure hadn't really helped at all.

"Mmm..."

Gabriel barely shifted his head to look at Sam, who was moving slightly and muttering noises under his breath. "Sammy?" He asked, his voice broken and weak.

It took a minute before Sam's eyes fluttered open, still staring into the room, unseeing. His head moved towards Gabriel as he figured out where the archangel was in the room, and his expression looked worried.  _Are you still mad at me?_  The thought was tinged with an apology and nervousness.

Gabriel gawked at him before remembering Sam couldn't see his expression. "I am so, so sorry, Sammy," Gabriel whispered. "Of course I'm not mad at you. You should be furious with me. I can't believe I left you alone to deal with all that crap last night."

Sam looked confused for a moment before realization cleared his expression.  _I can handle a nightmare, Gabe. I have them all the time._

"No, you shouldn't have to handle them," Gabriel argued. "I never want to hear those kinds of sounds from you again." He winced at the memory. "What was happening in the nightmare?" He made the question sound like an order.

Sam knew enough about Gabriel's presence in his head now to keep the memory on lockdown.  _No, Gabe, you don't need to see that. I still need to apologize for making you upset last night._

"Over my dead body, Samsquatch," Gabriel retorted. "You have nothing to apologize for. I was being an idiot, which I'll readily admit to. Now, let me see the nightmare or I swear I will come into your head and get it myself." He made himself sound overly threatening, but he knew that Sam knew him well enough to believe him.

Resigned, Sam scrunched up his face in concentration and allowed the nightmare to flow through his mind from beginning to end.

"Oh, Father," Gabriel whispered, his voice broken again. "Sammy, I am so sorry. How could I have left you like that? I knew better! I was just pissed, and not over anything important! I want you to swear to me that you know Lucifer was lying to you."

 _I know, Gabe,_ Sam thought, the words sounding tired.

"No, not good enough," Gabriel said firmly. "You want to know what's real? Dean freaking loves you, Sam, to an extent that most siblings will never feel in their lives. You guys are brothers, through and through. Even when he's pissed at you, the guy would go to hell and back for you. Oh wait, he did that already!" Gabriel said the last part sarcastically, trying to prove his point. "Cas values you as a friend, and he has a crazy amount of respect for you. And I..." Here Gabriel trailed off, not sure what to say. He was nowhere near ready for an admission of love. "You can't understand what you mean to me," Gabriel finally said, hoping that was enough.

Sam's face looked pained.  _I know all of that, Gabe, but everything Lucifer says to me has a grain of truth. Dean is tired of cleaning up after me. The whole damn apocalypse was my fault. Cas doesn't look at me like I'm an abomination anymore, but I'm not special to him. And you, I don't even know why you bothered to babysit me. You have better things to do, I'm sure. I'm a broken man, Gabe, and I can't imagine I'm worth anything to you._

The heartbreaking thing to Gabriel about those words was that they weren't even said with an ounce of self pity. Sam's thoughts were as evenly toned as if he was commenting on the weather. He didn't feel sorry for himself, he simply thought those things were true. Gabriel couldn't stand it. "Dammit, Sam!"

Sam was startled.  _What?_

Gabriel took a deep breath, wondering if he was ready for this. He gave up and launched into the words he knew Sam needed to hear. "You want to know why I offered to try and fix you? It wasn't because I pitied you or because Cas begged. Nobody even asked me, this was my idea! I'm here because underneath that screwed up pile of crap you've just spewed is a fantastic hunter with a glowing soul and an amazing ass that I'm freaking in love with. All right? You got me to admit it! I was never even going to say anything, I just wanted to be able to help you heal. Then I have to snap over you drudging up memories I don't like to think about, and all of a sudden I've abandoned you to Lucifer's hands. Can you imagine how I felt when I came back last night? I spent hours pouring my grace into you, Sam, and it never helped! You never stopped screaming and whimpering in pain for more than a moment, despite my best efforts. I'm so drained right now, Sam, I can barely summon a candy bar from the kitchen. I wouldn't make myself this vulnerable, physically or emotionally, for anyone. Don't you dare sell yourself short, Sam Winchester, because you have no idea how many people in this world love you and your incredibly low self esteem."

Sam's mouth had dropped open at some point during Gabriel's tirade, and his expression was one of pure shock. Thoughts began to fire out of him rapidly, with Gabriel having to concentrate to catch them all.

_You..._

_Oh my God, you love me?_

_You said that, right? I didn't imagine that?_

_Why would my soul glow? I'm corrupt and I'm going to hell when I die._

_You think I've got an amazing ass?_

_Why would you drain your grace into me?_

_Are you okay? Will your grace recharge?_

_I think..._

_I just can't believe you really love me. Like really. Oh God._

_I love you too._

_There, there it is!_

_Oh God._

_I didn't want to admit that out loud. Well, this isn't out loud. But still._

_Dean's going to be pissed._

_Screw Dean._

_I'm in love with a freaking archangel._

_It makes sense for me to fall for you, you're incredible._

_Why on earth would you fall for me?_

Sam's thoughts were coming so fast and randomly that Gabriel was struggling to keep up, but after that last one the brain activity trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the air.

Gabriel laid a hand on Sam's chest and spoke softly. "You were tainted as a child by something you had no control over, kiddo. Your soul is not earmarked for hell. Even freeing Lucifer was an act of manipulation by the forces that sought to use you. You though, your actual soul, is one of the most pure souls I've ever seen. Every single inch of you aches with a desire to do good and seek justice in this world. You have no idea how bright you are, Sammy." Gabriel's voice had grown warm as he spoke, affection for the hunter coating his words.

 _That's hard to believe_ , Sam admitted.

"Believe it," Gabriel stated, more as an order than anything else. "You are good, Sam. I swear, absolutely pure of heart."

_I dunno about pure. I've had some pretty intense dreams on the nights you've stayed with me._

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. He didn't watch Sam dream very often, so he was surprised. "Do tell," he urged.

 _You don't watch me dream?_  Sam thought, surprise coloring the words.

"Not usually, no. As long as you aren't screaming in your sleep, I don't try and mess with your head while you sleep. I figured that would bug you." Gabriel explained.

_That's actually really considerate, thanks. I don't mind though. I mostly dream of you anyway. I have for weeks now. I think they were dreams I would have been having if the nightmares hadn't won out before I came here._

"Care to give me a sample?" Gabriel asked curiously.

Sam focused and relaxed as he found the desired memories, letting them play out as he remembered dreaming them while the archangel watched.

At first, the dreams were sweet, focusing mostly on Sam and Gabriel holding hands, cuddling, or lightly kissing. These dreams quickly gave way to full on making out, nude cuddling, blowjobs, and finally sex. Graphic, detailed, sweaty, mind blowing sex. Gabriel's eyebrows had risen far up his forehead in surprise at some of the things Sam had dreamed of.

 _When you stay the night I end up with much better dreams,_  Sam pointed out unnecessarily.

"Yeah, I get that," Gabriel commented, still surprised. "Damn, kiddo. I had no idea that you had all that passion going on in there."

 _I'm a Winchester, we tend to bottle up emotion,_  Sam thought wryly.  _I didn't want to seem excessively dependent on you or too interested, because I didn't want to scare you away._

"You will never scare me off," Gabriel assured him, leaning against the hunter and playing lightly with his hair.

 _I did last night_ , Sam thought reluctantly.

Gabriel sighed, but didn't move. "That wasn't you, kiddo, that was all me. The old days are a time I've tried to distance myself from. I left Heaven because my family wouldn't stop fighting. I didn't want to have to choose a side, so I left. I took up my mantle with the pagan crowd, but even they would get into rows and kill each other, and I hated having to watch the gods I had befriended trying to decapitate each other with magical objects. I've been on Earth for a long time, Sammy, and it hasn't really been a cakewalk. I don't trust easily. I freaked out yesterday because I was terrified of revealing why I've become so invested in humanity again. Sammy, you're the only reason I'm not a monster. All that stuff I said about myself last night? It's all true, but you've just made me better than that. I don't trust people, but I trust you."

 _I am sorry for making you upset,_  Sam offered.  _Even though I know you didn't mean it. I don't trust easily either, but I trust you absolutely. Maybe our screw ups balance out._

"Maybe," Gabriel chuckled. "You must be seriously screwed up though, because immediately after confessing that you loved me too, your next thought was how pissed Dean would be."

 _Oh, he's totally going to be pissed,_ Sam thought, moaning aloud.  _How about you and I figure out how this is going to work before we go announcing ourselves to everybody?_

Gabriel grinned. "I think that's probably wise. Not that Cas would be surprised. He kind of kicked my ass in the direction of confessing my feelings."

 _Remind me to send Cas a muffin basket or something._  Sam thought, a smile on his lips.  _Gabe, can I ask a favor?_

"Sure, kiddo, anything. What do you want?" Gabriel cast his eyes down to his hunter's face. Yes, his hunter. It was about time.

_Kiss me. I want to feel the real thing, not a dream._

"Your wish is my command, Sammy," Gabriel said softly before pressing his lips down to Sam's.


	9. Fresh

The rest of the day after Sam woke up from his nightmare was spent with the two of them in Sam's bed, just holding each other. For Sam, it was a process of being rebuilt with love after Lucifer had torn him down with hate. For Gabriel, it was the fulfillment of a dream, and both men were perfectly content to lay together all day.

When Sam had fallen asleep that evening, Gabriel took advantage of Sam's earlier permission to snoop around in the hunter's dreams. He felt his heart warm with what he saw. In Sam's dream the two men were kissing softly, Gabriel laying on top of Sam, in the middle of a field under a glowing sun. It was so sweet and tender that Gabriel wanted to do that for him right then, though the logical part of his mind realized that Sam did actually need the sleep.

That didn't mean they couldn't leave the palace though. The more he thought about it, the more Gabriel wanted to take Sam somewhere. He couldn't just sit in bed for months until he healed, he would go insane! Gabriel spent the rest of the night coming up with a plan, and prepared to spring it on Sam when the hunter woke up in the morning.

When Sam finally did awaken, he could feel immediately that he wasn't in his bed.  _Gabe?_  He asked warily, unsure what he was sitting on.

"Okay, bear with me, please, Samsquatch?" Gabriel said hesitantly. "You're kind of in a wheelchair. Before you freak, let me remind you that you can't actually walk, and I figured you wouldn't want me to carry you everywhere."

Sam debated it internally for a moment before projecting the coherent though of,  _Okay, well reasoned so you get a pass. I look ridiculous, don't I?_

"I'll show you a picture when your eyes heal," Gabriel promised, his voice full of laughter.

The hunter made a big show of rolling his useless eyes before relaxing in the chair.  _Any particular reason for the chair?_  He asked.

"We're going to get some fresh air," Gabriel informed him. "I figured you could use a change of scenery, so to speak."

In spite of himself, Sam perked up at that announcement.  _That would be great!_  He enthused.  _Where are we going?_

Gabriel snapped his fingers and found himself admiring the view from the top of the Empire State Building.

Sam inhaled deeply, sensing the change in air. He could feel a breeze against his face, and heard the hum of city noise.  _Where are we?_

"The Empire State Building. Not that New York City is renowned for its fresh air, but I thought that being high up in the sky would help. I like the air up higher. It's clearer and more pleasant to breathe." Gabriel inhaled deeply himself, enjoying the sensation.

 _You brought the sightless guy to a building renowned for its view?_  Sam asked, his thoughts tinged with sarcasm.

Gabriel made a face. "I'm trying to think of places that have nice sensory experiences other than sight!" He retorted. "The air feels and smells good, right?"

 _Yes, it does._  Sam admitted.

"So quit complaining," Gabriel said playfully. "I have a few other ideas too."

They relaxed on top of the building for about half an hour, then Sam heard Gabriel's fingers snap and his nose was suddenly accosted with a completely different odor.  _What the hell is...Gabe, is that chocolate?_

Gabriel was grinning and jumping up and down in excitement. "I love this place!" He exclaimed. "It's a chocolate factory, Sammy. You can't see all the machinery, which I guess is cool, but you can just sit here and breathe in chocolate. How awesome is that?"

The archangel's enthusiasm was infectious, and Sam found himself smiling broadly in response.  _Do we get free samples?_ He queried.

Gabriel's right eyebrow arched skyward. "Seriously? Aren't you afraid you're going to wreck your girlish figure?"

 _Shut up and get me some candy, Gabe,_  Sam said, giving him a bitch face.

Laughing, Gabriel snapped two thick milk chocolate bars into existence and handed one to Sam. "There you go, kiddo. Don't say I never gave you anything."

 _I appreciate the chocolate more than the herpes,_  Sam teased.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, but chuckled and took a big bite out of his candy bar. "Is there anyplace you want to go?" He asked Sam with his mouth full.

Sam let his mind roll over various possibilities for a moment before replying.  _Somewhere cold, like up north. I've always liked that feeling of being able to smell the ice and snow, and I feel like it'll be more significant somehow if that's the primary experience._

"Hmmm." Gabriel mulled that over, thinking of places where there was snow right about now. "That could be arranged. Are you wanting to stay within the US or can I take you to Tibet?"

Sam gave him a skeptical look.  _Thank you for asking, at least. Uh...where in Tibet?_

Gabriel shrugged. "I just thought it might be cool for you to be able to say you've been on Mount Everest. Not the top, because it would be kind of intense to drag you up there, but maybe a little ways up the mountain?" He sounded hopeful, wondering if his offer was tantalizing enough.

 _Okay, that would be really cool,_  Sam conceded. Before he had even registered the sound of Gabriel snapping his fingers he felt the abrasive cold hit him square on.  _WOAH._

"Hey, kiddo, you said cold!" Gabriel reminded him, but he touched the hunter's forehead lightly and immediately Sam's body temperature began to compensate for the extreme weather.

 _This is amazing, Gabe,_  Sam thought sincerely.  _I can even feel the altitude. Dean's going to flip when I tell him about this!_

Gabriel made a face. "Flip like 'oh that's awesome I should send Gabriel a thank you gift for making you happy' or flip like 'I'm going to punch that dick in the face'?"

Sam barked a laugh.  _I'm sure he'll think it's cool, Gabe. Don't worry about what he thinks of you. He finds you annoying, but I think you've been growing on him. I can tell when he talks that he's grateful to you for helping me, even if he won't say it._

"Not that I've been able to do much so far," Gabriel said grumpily. "All you've got back so far is one toe."

 _Better than nothing at all_ , Sam thought. Originally he had been the pessimist in this equation, so it was interesting to see the tables turn slightly.

"You're right," Gabriel admitted. "It's about time for your daily shot of grace anyway. You know, I don't think anyone else in history would be able to say that they were infused with the grace of an archangel on Mount Everest."

 _Lucky me,_  Sam thought with a chuckle. He leaned back and relaxed as he felt Gabriel's hand touch his chest and the power begin to flow. They had already discussed making it a little less today, since Gabriel had practically drained himself dry trying to drag Sam out of his nightmare two nights before. It was better to let Gabriel recharge than to risk him exhausting himself.

There was a soft sigh, then Gabriel removed his hand and smiled. "There. All done, kiddo. Any new changes?"

Sam flexed the one toe that had returned, but nothing else had changed.  _No change yet, but we have time. Plus, I have a new activity to keep my mind off my situation._

"What's that?" Gabriel asked, picking snowflakes out of Sam's hair.

 _Building a relationship with you_ , Sam said seriously tilting his head back to where he knew Gabriel was and pursing his lips.

Chuckling, Gabriel humored him and leaned down to kiss Sam. He pulled away after a moment and said, "I think we should start working on that from the comfort of a building with a fireplace, don't you?"

 _That sounds nice_ , Sam thought, and suddenly he could hear the crackling fire. He smiled at the sound and the accompanying heat. It was kind of nice to have an archangel around!


	10. Progress

Not even a week after the declarations of love between Gabriel and Sam, it became obvious that something was very different.

When Sam realized he could move two toes now instead of just one, that was just progress. When the very next day he could move three toes, that was a little weird. When the day after that gave him a fourth toe and the day after that the remaining toe on his left foot, that was just plain bizarre. It got even weirder when for the next five days resulted in Sam regaining all the toes on his right foot as well. There's not a lot you can do with toes, but the fact that they had all returned to normal so quickly was just way too out of the ordinary, especially given how long they'd gone without much progress of any kind.

It was Sam's idea to ask Castiel what he thought, and Gabriel decided it was a good idea. Castiel wasn't older or wiser than Gabriel, but he did have a different perspective, and he wasn't biased like Gabriel was.

It was also Sam's idea to insist that when Castiel came to visit he leave Dean behind. Sam's reasoning behind this was primarily that he wasn't really ready to explain his feelings for Gabriel to his brother just yet. Gabriel was more than willing to accommodate Sam's trepidation for the time being, given that he thought it more than likely that the oldest Winchester might hit him. Not that he could actually hurt Gabriel, but the archangel had a history of smiting people who attacked him first, and he figured it was better to not chance it.

Castiel was willing to oblige the new couple, and arrived at Gabriel's palace on the afternoon of the day Sam got his last toe back.

"I must inform you, Gabriel," Castiel said importantly, "that Dean is not pleased with the fact that he was not invited to this meeting."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and escorted Castiel to Sam's room. "We really could care less about Dean at the moment. You can tell him that he's more than welcome to come along next time."

Sam's head turned immediately to face Gabriel when the archangel entered the room, a smile lighting up his face.  _Hey, Gabe. Tell Cas thanks for coming_.

"Sammy says thanks for coming," Gabriel reiterated to Castiel. When the younger angel didn't respond, Gabriel turned to face him and was surprised by the shock emanating from his brother. "Woah, Cas, you okay?"

Sam stiffened automatically.  _What's wrong?_

"Hey, earth to Cas! You all right in there?" Gabriel was waving a hand in front of his brother's face, concern starting to affect his expression.

"Sam..." Castiel finally breathed out, his expression starting to thaw out of the expressive shock it had frozen in. "What happened to you?"

 _What do you mean?_  Sam asked, concerned.

"What do you mean?" Gabriel repeated, confused.

Castiel reluctantly pealed his eyes away from Sam to look at Gabriel. "I am not sure what has happened here, brother, but Sam is glowing. I do not mean that in a physical sense, but his soul is shining so brightly I can hardly stand to look at it."

Sam and Gabriel's faces were mirrored expressions of surprise.  _What the hell is he talking about?_  Sam finally demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Gabriel asked Castiel, barely aware that he was repeating Sam again. "His soul looks the same to me as it always has. I mean, sure, it's always been bright, but I've never been half-blinded by looking at him or anything."

Castiel was shaking his head. "It is different for you, Gabriel. You always saw the true nature of Sam. To you, his soul has always been glowing and pure. My apologies, Sam," Castiel said, looking in Sam's direction, "but when I first met you I saw a tainted soul, which only grew darker. To my relief, however, your soul has indeed been brightening since we averted the apocalypse. Not to this degree though. I am unsure what the cause of this sudden change is."

Sam merely nodded in response, not seeming to take offense to Castiel's comments.  _I always thought my soul must have been pretty damaged,_  he mused.

Gabriel seemed more offended by Castiel's assessment of Sam's soul than Sam was. "His soul has always been beautiful," Gabriel argued.

"To you," Castiel repeated. "To everyone else, it was a damaged soul in desperate need of repair. However, I now see a soul that is fully complete and undamaged, to an extent where the glow is painful to perceive for too long. In truth, it reminds me of how I located Dean in hell. His soul was fighting against the darkness and fighting back with a powerful light. I have not seen its equal since then."

Sam seemed to find that confusing, but didn't comment.

Gabriel was thinking hard, trying to determine what Castiel was saying. "Would this change in his soul's appearance to everyone else have affected the speed he's healing at? That's what we wanted to ask you about. We went weeks without progress, and suddenly he's regained the use of all of his toes. I know that's not all that impressive, but the speed with which it happened was a little disconcerting."

Thinking about it for a moment, Castiel's eyes suddenly opened wide in understanding. "Sam, would it be all right for me to access your thoughts? I wish to communicate directly with you, but I promise not to continue the contact past this conversation."

Sam nodded immediately. He trusted Castiel.  _It's cool with me. So...hi there, Cas. Receiving me loud and clear?_

"Yes, Sam, I can hear you," Castiel assured him. "Now, when did the healing begin to escalate?"

Letting his mind go back over the past nine days, Sam replayed the discovery of movement in each toe for Castiel.

"I see. Did anything significant happen to occur right before this change?" Castiel's tone implied his desire for a specific answer.

Sam's mind immediately replayed the confessions of love between himself and Gabriel from nearly two weeks before, though Sam had not prompted the memory to surface.  _Oh...yeah. Surprise! That was pretty significant. To me._

"And me," Gabriel interjected, noticing Sam's inflection. As he spoke, his eyes suddenly widened, mirroring Castiel's earlier reaction. "Cas, is that what you think this is?"

"That is my strong suspicion, Gabriel," Castiel affirmed. "Only that power could effectively cleanse Sam's soul and speed up the healing process in such a way. As I said before, I have seen a similar process work from within Dean."

"Yeah, but I'm not blinded by looking at Dean," Gabriel argued.

"Souls may shine in different ways," Castiel reminded him. "Sam is a bright soul, which makes sense in its own way. He was the vessel for the Morning Star, was he not?" Gabriel bristled at the mention of Lucifer, but Castiel ignored him. "Dean's radiance is more...controlled, I suppose. No less beautiful, but perhaps less visually intrusive."

Gabriel relaxed and nodded, understanding Castiel's train of thought. "So, if all goes well, I will be able to fully heal him?" He wondered out loud, though he knew the answer was yes.

"Indeed. In fact, you could heal him entirely right now." Castiel pointed out.

Sam stiffened and looked up.  _Wait, what?_

Gabriel's eyes flashed at Castiel in irritation. "That's a much larger step than I believe we are ready for, Cas," Gabriel said sternly.

Castiel merely nodded and gave a small shrug. "As long as you are aware of the significance."

"I am," Gabriel said firmly.

"Then I shall take my leave," Castiel said. "Goodbye, Sam." With a swoosh of wings, Castiel was gone.

 _Care to explain all the bits the non-angel over here didn't understand?_  Sam asked, his thoughts sounding disgruntled.

Gabriel chuckled in spit of himself and came over to take his now customary place next to Sam with the hunter in his arms. "It's kind of complicated, kiddo. Basically, you've been lit up from within by the power of love, to phrase it as cheesily as possible. In any case, that's what sped up the healing. It's kind of like being supercharged. You know how humans who are married tend to live longer? Love us powerful that way."

 _So why did Cas say that you could fully heal me now?_  Sam demanded.

"I wish he hadn't brought that up. It's kind of a big step," Gabriel said with a sigh.

 _And why is mentioning something that can heal me a bad thing?_  Sam asked, looking frustrated.

"Well, it isn't, but I don't want to go there yet. It's complicated." Gabriel sighed again and started playing with Sam's hair. "Okay, look. There's sort of a thing angels do with their mates to kind of seal the deal, so to speak. It involves binding their graces together and sealing each other's forms. It's not common to perform this with humans, but when it happens, the human receives a binding mark and their soul becomes intertwined with the angel's grace."

 _Dean's hand print._  Sam thought automatically.

"Bingo, Samsquatch. Getting Dean out of hell required a more significant draw from Cas than he had foreseen and he ended up being bound to Dean without realizing it at first. For awhile all that hand print did was give Cas a good idea of how Dean was doing at any given time, but once they actually became a couple Cas was able to solidify the bond and they became a solid unit, so to speak. Leaving a connection like that unfulfilled for so long is dangerous, so it's a really good thing they finally got together." Gabriel focused on Sam's hair, twirling long strands around his fingers again and again.

 _Why don't you want to do that with me?_  Sam asked, trying hard to make the question sound neutral and not needy.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Sammy, don't read that into it. Trust me, I want to more than anything. I just don't think it's wise yet. Yes, binding together would heal you, but it would also connect us in a permanent way. Binding your soul to my grace is the most intimate thing we could possibly do, and it's a huge deal. Once we're bound together, breaking that bond would result in... catastrophic consequences. We've only been building this relationship for like two weeks, kiddo. I'd like to have a firmer foundation before we start making life changing decisions. This is the angelic version of getting married, except that divorce ends in death." Gabriel broke off, having not meant to say that last part.

 _So...you're worried that I might try to leave you or something?_  Sam asked, irritated.  _You think eventually I'll decide that I don't want to be with you anymore and we'll suddenly both just die or something?_

"Hold up, Samsquatch. This isn't about a lack of faith in you. I just have kind of a history with crappy relationships, and this binding thing is a big deal. I'd rather do this relationship the right way, rather than rush into it. I care about you enough to stow my selfish desires to make sure we're both getting what we want here. Can you understand that?" Gabriel's tone turned soft and he applied a little more pressure to the arm wrapped around Sam, giving him a hug.

 _I guess._  Sam said reluctantly.  _I see your point. Still though, the appeal of getting you forever and being able to see your face and talk to you again on the same day? Kind of tempting._

Gabriel chuckled. "How about I make you a deal, kiddo?"

_What kind of deal?_

"Assuming we don't do this beforehand, I promise to do the binding with you the day you get your sight back. Even with the advanced healing, that'll still give us plenty of time to build an actual relationship." Gabriel tilted Sam's head slightly so he could give the hunter a kiss.

 _I think I can agree to that,_  Sam managed to think while his lips were occupied.  _As long as you promise me that the very first thing we're doing after I'm healed is something a little more x-rated than making out._

"Deal."


	11. Honesty

_Gabe, it's time._

"I'm only agreeing to this if you promise he won't hit me."

_I can't promise that, but he needs to know. He's going to be pissed I didn't tell him sooner._

"You've got to be the only blind person that can do puppy dogs that damn effectively."

_Which means...?_

"Fine, I'll tell Cas. Now, can we quite worrying about Dean? I can think of much better things to hold your attention..."

Sam allowed his attentions to be distracted by Gabriel's lips, smiling into the kisses as he thought about how things had progressed. It had been two months since the rapid return of movement in his toes, and Sam could finally bend his legs at the knee. He had complete motion from his knees down, which was amazing. Even more incredible was how quickly his relationship with Gabriel had progressed. It was now difficult to believe there had ever been a time when they weren't together.

Gabriel was devoted to Sam in every way, his entire being dedicated to the hunter. Likewise, Sam had turned Gabriel into the sun around which he personally orbited, and they spent most of their days learning every detail about each other, either through dialogue or wandering hands.

Things were going well. It was time to tell Dean what was going on. That idea made Sam nervous, but he also knew that it had to be done. Dean deserved to know.

The increased intensity of Gabriel's lips on Sam's diverted his train of thought back to his mate, and he allowed his concerns to drift away. Dean could wait another day.

* * *

Gabriel stood by his front door, bouncing from foot to foot anxiously. Castiel and Dean would be arriving any moment, and Gabriel was hoping for Sam's sake that Dean took the news well. If he didn't, that wasn't exactly Gabriel's problem, but he knew how devastating it would be to Sam. The fact that Castiel was smugly pleased with their relationship would probably help, but there was still concern.

Sam had been adamant about having this conversation brother to brother, meaning no angelic involvement. Gabriel had reluctantly agreed, although he wasn't sure how effectively they were going to communicate, since Sam still couldn't talk.

The doorbell jolted Gabriel out of his thoughts, and he opened the door reluctantly. "Hey, guys. Dean, Sam's waiting for you in the bedroom." He jerked his thumb in the direction of Sam's room, then moved to capture Castiel's attention. "C'mon, baby bro, let's go hang out."

Dean eyed the two angels with confusion, but shrugged it off and headed towards Sam's room. "Hey, dude," he called as he entered the room.

Sam's head turned in Dean's direction, though it was clear from the misdirection of his eyes that he still couldn't see. He smiled in response though, and beckoned to the foot of his bed for Dean to sit down.

"So, how are we communicating today?" Dean asked teasingly.

Lips twitching, Sam began to motion what he wanted to say. He pointed to himself, made the number two with his fingers, pointed to his mouth, then at Dean, then paused, as though not sure what motion to do next.

"You have to tell me...something?" Dean offered as a translation, grinning to himself when Sam nodded, obviously pleased. "Okay, what is it?"

Sam pointed to himself again, then into the distance, out of the room, then made the universal sign for love, although he wasn't sure if Dean knew that one.

Dean raised an eyebrow as he tried to work that out. "Okay, you and...are you trying to indicate Gabriel?" Sam nodded. "Okay, so something about you and Gabriel. I don't know what that last one means, Sam."

Sighing, Sam made a face and held up two hands in a heart symbol, giving Dean a bitch face as though daring him to make fun.

"Wait, what?" Dean asked, confused. "Dude, are you trying to tell me that you love  _Gabriel_?"

Pleased at the fact that he'd at least been able to communicate, Sam nodded, smiling.

"Since when?" Dean asked, dumbfounded.

Sam had to think about that for a minute. Finally he held up three fingers, then corrected himself and held up four.

"Weeks? Months? Geez, Sammy, four months?" Dean was surprised when Sam nodded in agreement at months. "Why didn't you say something?"

Sam shot him a bitch face and motioned to his mouth.

"No, dude, I know, that's not what I meant. Falling in love with an archangel is kind of a big deal, you know? Why'd you wait so long to drop the bomb on me?" Dean wasn't mad, or even really surprised, but he was confused.

With a chuckle, Sam pointed to Dean and mimed his head exploding.

"You thought I'd freak?" Dean reiterated for confirmation. When Sam nodded, Dean sighed. "I can't say I'm exactly ready to have to deal with Gabriel of all people all the time, but really, Sam, you could do worse."

Knowing who he meant, Sam merely scowled at the memory. After a moment he relaxed though, realizing that Dean was, in his own way, giving them his blessing.  _Gabe, you guys can come in now!_

The angels appeared in the room, Castiel moving to Dean's side unconsciously and Gabriel plopping on to the bed beside Sam.

"Did you guys have a nice chat?" Gabriel asked, his voice half teasing and half concern.

Ignoring him, Dean turned slightly to Castiel. "Did you know about this?"

Castiel looked moderately abashed, but nodded. "I did, yes. Gabriel asked for my advice on several occasions."

"And you didn't tell me because...?" Dean prompted.

"It wasn't my place," Castiel replied simply.

Dean huffed, but seemed to accept that. "So...Gabriel..."

"Yes, Dean-o?" Gabriel asked, ignoring the older Winchester in favor of Sam's hair.

"I'm just throwing this out there, but if you ever hurt Sam, I want you to know that I am in possession of the knowledge of how to kill you. Just so you know." Dean smiled at Gabriel and relaxed against Castiel, who shifted to place an arm around his hunter's shoulders.

Sam's face was murderous, but he relaxed when Gabriel started laughing.

"Duly noted, Dean, duly noted. Trust me though, there's no one that your brother is safer with." Gabriel smiled reassuringly and returned his attentions to Sam's hair.

Dean couldn't doubt the sincerity in Gabriel's voice, and he seemed content with that. "So once Sam's all healed up, are we going to be the hunting foursome?"

Sam's face inclined towards Gabriel's, looking curious.

"Sam and I haven't talked a lot about the future yet," Gabriel began, "but I'll admit that I'm all for going hunting with you guys."

Looking pleased, Sam settled back against Gabriel with a content smile.  _We'd love to have you along, Gabe. Especially me._

"It would be nice to see you more often, Gabriel," Castiel informed him.

"Well, let's see how things play out once we get Sam functional again, okay?" Gabriel offered. "Speaking of, did you show Dean yet?" He directed this last question at Sam.

Sam shook his head, but quickly changed that by moving his legs. It was awkward, because he still didn't have movement from his knees to his hips, but he could at least convey the progress.

"Woah," Dean breathed, obviously impressed. "The healing has sped up, hasn't it?"

"Cas says I'm healing Sam with the power of love," Gabriel informed Dean with a straight face. A grin threatened to break through when Castiel solemnly nodded in response to Dean's questioning look.

"Dude," Dean said, looking at Sam now. "Could you guys be any gayer?"

Sam started laughing, and Gabriel quickly joined in.

"Oh, actually that reminds me," Dean said quickly, cutting off the laughter. "Bobby wanted to know how you were doing, Sam, and I said I'd give him a message from you."

 _Tell him that the minute I have the ability to do more than blink at him I'll be sure to pay him a visit,_  Sam thought.  _Also, you can tell him about me and Gabriel. Just, do it in such a way that he won't have a heart attack, okay?_

Gabriel relayed Sam's message with a smirk, and added, "Tell him from me that if he bribes me with chocolate that he can come see Sam whenever he wants. I'll pick him up and everything."

Dean looked wary of the idea, but promised to give Bobby the message regardless. "All right, sure. When do you think Sam will be all healed up, anyway?"

Gabriel shrugged. "No idea. Could be weeks, months, or even another year. It's kind of random progress. I also don't know if he'll immediately get his voice and sight back or if they'll come back incrementally. It's kind of a waiting game."

Sam made a frustrated noise.

"Either way, we'll get there eventually," Gabriel said pointedly. "Sam will be fine."

"In the meantime," Castiel offered, "I suppose you two are fully capable of keeping busy."

"DUDE." Dean cringed. "I so don't need to know what our brothers are doing in their freaking Disney castle!"

"Dean!" Gabriel interjected, waiting until he had the hunter's attention. "I take offense to that! My house is way cooler than Cinderella's Castle!"

Dean stared at him for a moment in disbelief, then all four of them began to laugh together.


	12. Swimming

The next couple of weeks mostly consisted of Sam practicing moving what he had back of his legs, kissing Gabriel, and even getting a visit from Bobby. True to his word, Gabriel had played chauffeur and gone to get the older hunter, acting as translator and dropping the relationship bomb on the closest thing Sam had to a father.

Thankfully, Bobby had taken it at least as well as Dean. He seemed to find the idea mildly consternating, but made a point to tell Sam he was happy for him. The two had parted with Bobby threatening Gabriel over Sam's safety and happiness, then extending to Sam his hope that the younger Winchester recovered quickly.

The rest of Sam and Gabriel's time together had been mostly spent getting to know each other better. Sam had an endless thirst for knowledge, and Gabriel was perfectly willing to talk for hours about himself, so the arrangement worked well. Sam probably knew more about Gabriel than anyone else in existence, except maybe for God himself.

The continuing growth of their relationship must have had a positive affect, because two weeks after telling Dean about his and Gabriel's relationship, Sam got full use of his legs back.

Gabriel wasn't in the room when Sam discovered this, so the hunter figured he could take this opportunity to surprise the archangel. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, taking a deep breath before attempting to put weight on them. They felt a little wobbly, but Gabriel's efforts to preserve Sam's body while he couldn't exercise made it easier to put weight on the suddenly functioning limbs. All the muscle and support was still there, but Sam hadn't walked in so long that he stumbled anyway.

"Hey, Samsquatch, I - HOLY..." Gabriel had appeared in the room, speaking before realizing Sam was standing, and the realization shocked him into silence.

 _Don't jostle me or anything_ , Sam warned him.  _They work, but I'm pretty shaky. Out of practice, I guess._

Gabriel recovered quickly, moving over so Sam could lean on him gently for support. "Geez, kiddo! I was gone for all of an hour, and you start walking again?"

 _Barely. I only just made it out of bed. Like I said, I feel kind of wobbly._  Sam stumbled again, as if accenting his point.

"Okay, I think I know of a way to help you get used to those stilts of yours again. C'mon." Gabriel began walking forward, using his hand on the small of Sam's back to help guide the hunter in the right direction.

Sam walked along beside Gabriel, his legs shaky, but functional. He looked pleased with himself, if a little uncomfortable.  _What's your plan?_

"Patience, kiddo. We're almost there." Gabriel took a few turns through his palace, then headed out the back door into the extensive yard.

Sam sniffed automatically, taking in his new surroundings.  _Chlorine?_  He asked with surprise.

"We're going swimming, Sammy!" Gabriel enthused.

Sam looked skeptical, but amusement twitched at his lips.  _I don't swim much_ , he admitted.

"You know how though, right?" Gabriel asked.

 _Of course, but Dean and I don't usually take time for recreation, so I'm a little out of practice._  Sam shifted awkwardly, debating the intelligence of this idea.

"Relax, Samsquatch. I got you. You won't drown on my watch, and I promise you that this will help you get used to your legs again." Gabriel's voice was sincere, and he snapped his fingers to put them both in swim trunks. He was immediately distracted by Sam's chest, ogling since he knew Sam couldn't see and chastise him.

Sam stiffened slightly at the sudden breeze as the majority of his clothing disappeared, then relaxed when he recognized the texture of swim trunks.  _What, we aren't skinny dipping?_  He asked sarcastically.

"Don't tempt me, kiddo!" Gabriel teased, laughing at the expression on Sam's face. "C'mon, quit stalling. In the water!"

Sam hesitated, which turned out to be the wrong move, as Gabriel promptly shoved him in the water, following quickly with a cannonball of his own. Coming to the surface, Sam spat out a mouthful of water and began to tread water, searching with his ears for Gabriel.  _Not cool!_

Gabriel's laughter came from behind Sam, who turned to face the unrepentant archangel. "Relax, Sammy. I promised not to let you drown! C'mon, let's play tag!" His enthusiasm was infectious, like that of a child.

 _I don't want to burst your bubble, Gabe, but what happens when I swim headfirst into the concrete or a sharp corner? I can't exactly see where I'm going._  Sam allowed his eyes to shift around the pool to prove his point.

"No worries. We'll play Marco Polo, and I've got every hard surface covered in four inch thick foam. You'll be fine. Now, quite being such a baby! You're it!" Gabriel dodged forward, tagged, Sam, then disappeared.

Sighing resignedly, Sam ducked under the water briefly and came back up, using the moisture to slick his messy hair out of his face.  _Marco_ , he thought loudly.

"Polo!" Gabriel hollered from somewhere on Sam's left.

Sam began to move in that direction, but shifted slightly to the right with every stroke he took, taking advantage of the ability to hear movement under water to help him figure out where Gabriel was going.  _Marco!_  He thought again.

"Polo!" Gabriel repeated, from a direction completely opposite to where Sam had been headed.

The hunter stopped moving immediately, glaring in the direction the archangel's voice had come from.  _Flying around the pool is cheating!_  He chastised.

Gabriel's laughter was his only reply, but it told him the archangel had moved again, closer to where he had been before.

Sam ducked back underwater, listening carefully before he started moving again. If nothing else, this activity was keeping his mind off his legs, which seemed to be functioning just fine in the water.

In the end, Sam and Gabriel played Marco Polo for over three hours, and Sam only caught Gabriel twice. He wasn't completely sure the archangel hadn't allowed himself to be tagged to make Sam feel better, but it didn't really matter. The point of the game had been to reacquaint himself with moving his legs, and it had worked.

Sam was able to walk back to his bedroom under his own power, walking easily as if he'd never stopped. He only needed Gabriel's guidance when it came to not walking into things, which was definitely progress.  _Now that I can walk,_  Sam began,  _I absolutely refuse to stay in that bed twenty four seven._

"Perfectly understandable, Samsquatch. I promise to organize some field trips." Gabriel tugged Sam too a stop and pulled the hunter into a hug. "You have no idea how happy I am that I'm actually able to fix you," he murmured.

Sam smiled and kissed the top of the archangel's head, burying his face in Gabriel's soft hair.  _You have no idea how happy I am that you wanted to fix me._


	13. Flashbacks

True to his word, Gabriel had made an effort to get Sam out of the house, so to speak. They pretty much went anywhere where they could walk long distances without being disturbed. On these occasions, all they really did was talk. Sometimes they talked about Sam's past, and some of his adventures with Dean, and occasionally they even tackled the sticky subject of John Winchester himself. On Gabriel's end, sometimes there were stories of various points in history, because he had learned quickly that nothing made Sam happier than hearing about 'how it really happened' from the mouth of someone who was there. Gabriel could also explain an infinite amount of scientific concepts, which Sam found fascinating, but he preferred the history stories.

That was how it came about that Sam chanced to ask Gabriel again about his own past with the gods. The couple was currently walking in an large empty field somewhere in England, which Gabriel was fond of for it's completely lack of evidence of civilization. It had the added bonus of nothing for Sam to run into, which made it a safe place to walk.

_Hey, Gabe?_

"What is it, kiddo?" Gabriel asked casually.

 _I know this conversation didn't go so well last time, but I was wondering if you could tell me stories of your time with the other deities._  Sam asked the question hesitantly, not wanting to push things.

Gabriel sighed, but didn't tense up. He had an arm around Sam's waist, and he squeezed reassuringly. "No problem, Samsquatch. I'm not surprised you're curious. I am sorry about freaking out on you last time. You forgive me, right?"

 _Of course I do, you know that. I just figured it was better to ask nicely, just in case._  Sam smirked slightly, feeling more confident and daring to tease now.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, forgetting that Sam couldn't see the gesture. "Uh-huh. All right, what do you want to hear about?"

_I don't know...how about a funny story?_

There was a pause, then Gabriel had to stop walking for a second because he was laughing so hard. "Oh, man," he gasped out, "I know the perfect story!"

 _What happened?_  Sam asked eagerly, enjoying the sound of Gabriel's laughter. It was practically musical.

Calming himself, Gabriel was finally able to start the story. "Okay, so this was ages ago. Like, before Anne of Cleves got to England." He threw in the historical reference, knowing that would give Sam context.

Nodding knowingly, Sam smiled at him encouragingly.  _Okay, so the 1500's._

"Yeah, that sounds right. Anyway, so you know how all the gods get together sometimes to discuss important issues?" When Sam nodded, Gabriel continued. "Okay, well this meeting was because some Indian god was having a snit with some African goddess over believers in some cult in Spain. It was really complicated, and I'm pretty sure they're both dead now anyway. So, I don't usually get invited to these things. Most of the gods hate me."

Sam chuckled.  _Can you blame them?_  He teased.

"Oh no, I totally get it," Gabriel confirmed. "I just usually show up anyway. So, I walk into this temple where everyone's gathered, and I'm generally ignored. I mean, Odin looks at me with irritation, but everything irritates Odin. Thor completely ignored me, because we just don't get along, and Zeus kind of glared at me, but deliberately ignored me for the rest of the meeting. Like I said, I really don't get along with most of the gods. I ended up sitting next to Anansi, who actually likes me most of the time, and Kali, who tolerates me."

Sam made a face at the mention of Kali.  _Was this before or after your relationship with her?_  He asked, trying not to sound bitter.

Gabriel caught on immediately, and gave Sam another comforting squeeze. "Oh no, way after. Don't worry about Kali, Sammy. She and I were over back when the Vikings were still running things."

Mildly reassured, Sam simply gestured for Gabriel to continue his story.

"Okay, so I'm sitting between two of the only people in the room who tolerate me, mostly just watching. Ganesh was on the other side of Kali, looking pissed about something, and I figured, hey, why not mess with the elephant in the room?" Gabriel stared at Sam's face until he saw the hunter's lips twitch in amusement at the joke. "Anyway, Ganesh usually chooses when to manifest, but I've got stronger power than he does, because, hello, archangel! I waited until everyone was paying attention to his input in the discussion, and then I forced him to manifest. All of a sudden, this little temple is housing a gigantic elephant, and everything is in chaos. Ganesh is stomping all over everything, pissed as hell, and all the other gods are trying to get out of his way. I'm just standing in the corner, laughing my ass off. Then, it gets better, because I see Baldur, who hates me for trying to kill him."

Sam gave Gabriel an exasperated look.  _Gabe, you suck at making friends._

"He was being irritating!" Gabriel offered as an excuse. "Anyway, I used my powers to toss Baldur across the room and into Mercury, who was a creepy little freak and always drove me nuts. He's got a strong sense of pride though, so he immediately set on Baldur, and that turned into an all out fight. Pretty soon everyone was on a side, and Ganesh was still trampling everything, and that's how I managed to knock down an entire ancient Roman temple on top of a bunch of deities. Obviously they all survived that, but I didn't show up for the next few meetings as a result." He grinned at the conclusion of his story, feeling pleased with himself.

 _That clarifies old memories_ , Sam thought.  _Nobody at Elysian Fields was happy to see you._

Gabriel rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, well, it's not like I was desperately in need of their approval. I mostly used them for something to do."

 _How did you occupy so much time on earth?_  Sam wondered.  _Did you just fly around smiting jerks the whole time?_

"Pretty much," Gabriel admitted. "Although, sometimes I'd get tired of it so I'd just pick a hiding spot and relax for a few decades or so."

 _Sounds lonely_ , Sam mused.

"Hopefully never again," Gabriel whispered, resting his head on Sam's shoulder.

The tall hunter reciprocated by placing his arm around Gabriel's shoulders and running his fingers through the archangel's hair.  _Not while I have any say in the matter_ , he thought with a smile on his face.

"Good," Gabriel muttered.

They were quiet for a few moments before Sam's chuckling broke the silence.

"What?" Gabriel asked, curiously looking up at his hunter's face to get a clue.

_Nothing...it's just...man, I wish I could have seen the look on Ganesh's face when he finally managed to get out of his elephant form._

Gabriel laughed with him, remembering the occasion with fondness. "Ganesh figured out it was my fault pretty quick, and I don't think he ever forgave me for that. Oh well, it was worth it."

 _Dean and I used to have pretty epic prank wars,_  Sam mused.

Gabriel perked up. "You never told me that." He accused.

 _I guess I didn't think about it. We haven't done it in...years, actually. I guess the crappier our lives got, the less time we had for fun._  Sam's face turned darker at this last thought.

"You guys are doing it wrong," Gabriel said grumpily. "You prank because things are crappy. That's how you lighten the mood and make laughter happen again."

Sam considered that for a moment.  _I guess you're right. The last time we were so much younger. He put a spoon in my mouth while I was sleeping, then woke me up with really loud music, so I set his stereo to go off with super loud mariachi music. After that, he put itching powder in my clothes, so I glued his hand to his beer bottle. I guess its pretty small class compared to forcing a god to become and elephant._

"Well, yeah, but I would have killed to watch you two go after each other like that." Gabriel was grinning. "You guys probably piss each other off so much doing stuff like that!"

 _You don't know the half of it,_  Sam admitted.  _Dean put nair in my shampoo once when I was a teenager._

Gabriel guffawed loudly before he saw the look of consternation on Sam's face and stopped. "Sorry, Sammy, but that must have been hilarious."

 _Not for me_ , Sam thought sullenly.

"Fine then, want to go prank Dean and Cas for fun?" Gabriel offered out of the blue.

 _Wait, seriously?_  Sam asked.

"Yeah, those two could use a little more fun in their lives!" Gabriel was scheming now.

 _Gabe, what are you going to do?_  Sam asked with a warning tone.

"Do you think turning their hotel room into a lover's paradise would be taking things too far?" Gabriel asked innocently, as if actually asking for advice on the idea.

Sam thought it over for a minute before grinning.  _They're going to want to kill you, but yeah, that'll be perfect. Go all Valentine's Day special on them. Take a picture too, so I can see when I get my sight back._

"Your wish is my command, Sammy." Gabriel snapped his fingers, and Sam immediately recognized the smell of his bedroom. "I'll be right back," Gabriel told him, the whoosh of wings indicating his departure.

Sam used the bed to stretch his legs, and didn't have to wait long for his archangel to return.  _Well?_

"You're right, they're going to kill me, but I can't wait to show you this picture, Samsquatch." Gabriel's voice was full of mirth, and Sam loved hearing so much excitement in his voice.

 _All right, now how about you put some of those angelic powers into kissing me?_  Sam demanded, wrapping his arms around Gabriel.

"You have to ask?" Gabriel said with a chuckle before pressing Sam against the bed. They would be occupied for awhile.


	14. Vocal

The day after the prank, Castiel showed up without warning while Gabriel was out and informed Sam to tell his archangel that, while they did make use of what had been provided, Dean was intent on executing Gabriel the next chance he got, and it might behoove all parties involved to stay apart for a little while.

Sam had found that highly amusing, as had Gabriel when he came back and was given the message.

After that, the couple continued in much the same way as they had, only with a lot more exercise than in the early days of Sam's rehabilitation. Weeks went by without further improvement, although Sam tried every morning to say "Hello" to Gabriel instead of having to think at him. Nothing had happened yet.

About two weeks after the prank on Dean and Castiel, Sam awoke and could tell from the atmosphere in his room that Gabriel wasn't there. He had stayed through the night, as always, so he must have had an errand to run. Sam felt the dip in the bed next to him and decided Gabriel can't have been gone long, so he should be back soon.

Out of habit, Sam opened his mouth in an attempt to force his vocal chords to make sound. "Egh-low." Came out of his mouth, and he almost collapsed in shock.

Was he getting his voice back? Focusing harder now, Sam cleared his throat several times and tried again. "Tec-king, tesch-tang, on, toe, kree." The words didn't sound right at all, but the fact that he could make them was practically a miracle. He expected to have to work at it, after all, he'd been without his voice for months now. He was bound to be a little rusty.

An idea occurred to him, and Sam quickly began to practice the same phrase over and over again. He was going to keep at it until Gabriel got back, and hopefully he could perfect this one thing.

Not quite an hour later, Sam was forced to stop his practice by the whoosh of wings.

"Hey, Samsquatch. Sorry I had to step out. Cas wanted to talk to me, but he's still trying to keep Dean away from me, so he'll only call me when Dean's occupied." Gabriel gave a tragic sigh and took his normal seat on the bed next to his hunter.

Sam snorted in response.  _Can't say I blame him,_  he thought at Gabriel.  _Dean can be pretty petty about stuff like that._

"At least I didn't paint the Impala pink or something," Gabriel offered, but his tone trailed off as though it had occurred to him that that was actually not a bad idea.

 _Gabe, if you touch the Impala, Dean will flay you alive, and you will absolutely deserve it,_  Sam thought seriously.  _Seriously, that would be like stealing his firstborn child away and bringing them back covered with tattoos and piercings. Bad idea._

Gabriel was laughing at Sam's analogy, but he reluctantly agreed. "Fine, I won't touch his precious Baby. Chuckles can keep his car just the way it is."

 _That's good, because I think you'd be kind of gross with no skin,_  Sam thought back, keeping his expression smooth.

There was a pause, then Gabriel was laughing again. "Duly noted, Sammy. Dean would have to catch me first, and I can be notoriously difficult to find."

 _Hiding from angels and hiding from the wrath of Dean Winchester are two very different things_ , Sam informed him solemnly, but a smile was twitching at his lips.

"I don't doubt it," Gabriel agreed, moving forward to press his lips to Sam's forehead. "It isn't him that I'm worried about though. I have this theory that if I majorly piss off Dean, you won't be happy with me either, and you're the one I care about." He winked, despite knowing that Sam couldn't see him.

 _It would depend on what you did to piss him off_ , Sam qualified,  _but I'm glad to see you're taking this seriously._  He smirked and scooted closer so he could lean against Gabriel's side.

"Oh, very seriously. I would never want to make you angry, kiddo." Gabriel tightened his grip around Sam and sighed, content with this position. They cuddled a lot, more in a day than most couples probably did in a week. It was good though, and always more than enough to sate them both, especially since they'd decided to wait on more explicit activities until Sam was one hundred percent healed.

 _Are we doing anything today?_  Sam asked lazily, not seeming to be in any hurry to get up.

"I didn't have a plan," Gabriel admitted. "We could go out later, maybe have dinner?"

 _Like a sit down dinner?_  Sam asked, surprised.

"Sure," Gabriel replied, warming to the idea. "Romantic dinner with candlelight in Rome or somewhere. Sound like fun?"

 _Actually...yeah._  Sam acknowledged, smiling.  _Especially the Rome part._

"Well, you know I love to treat my princess," Gabriel said teasingly. He had taken to calling Sam 'princess' after using the hunter's long hair to braid a circlet around his head while Sam slept, and Sam surprisingly didn't seem to mind the nickname. He would never in a million years admit to being okay with it out loud, and Gabriel was definitely facing death if he ever dared use it in front of Dean or Castiel, but in private? No, Sam didn't really mind it so much.

 _As long as I don't have to wear a tiara to dinner_ , Sam commented wryly.

Gabriel chuckled. "Are you sure? We could get one with gems that would match your eyes..." He trailed off, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Body language was lost on his blind hunter.

 _No freaking tiaras, Gabe,_  Sam insisted.  _If you want to give me valuable presents, try for something a little bit more badass._

Gabriel chuckled, but his mind was whirring. A badass gift, huh? He could do that.

* * *

At some point Gabriel had snapped Sam into the nicest suit he had ever worn, and suddenly they were sitting at a table overlooking running water. Sam could tell all of this without looking, but he was mostly curious about the suit. It was insanely comfortable, and he could tell that it was tailored, hugging him in all of the right places. He probably looked awesome in it.

"Seriously, Sammy, you've never looked more gorgeous," Gabriel enthused, unable to tear his eyes away from the hunter.

 _What kind of suit is this?_  Sam asked, wonderment sneaking into the tone of his thoughts.

"Something fancy I can't pronounce," Gabriel admitted. "It's silver, and your undershirt is teal green. The tie is a lighter shade of teal with silver stripes. You look amazing."

 _It feels awesome,_  Sam admitted.  _What are you wearing?_

Gabriel chuckled at the suggestive nature of the question, but answered without additional comment. "Same kind of suit, only in chocolate brown with a gold shirt. My tie is gold with chocolate bars all over it."

Sam smirked.  _That's perfect. You gotta promise me that we'll wear these again when I can actually see them. I bet you look hot in a suit._

"Not nearly as hot as you, princess," Gabriel said with a grin. "Now, what do you want to eat?"

 _Salad_ , Sam answered almost immediately. He could picture perfectly the look on Gabriel's face so he added,  _also garlic bread. And something chocolate for desert._

"I think I can make that work," Gabriel agreed. He called the waitress over and said something in Italian, then turned back to Sam. "So, I got you a present."

 _What, seriously?_  Sam asked, surprised. When they had been discussing gifts earlier, he hadn't thought Gabriel had taken him seriously.

"Yeah, it's something I thought you might appreciate." Gabriel set a box in front of Sam and smiled. "Go ahead, open it."

Sam fumbled with the wrapping a little bit, not being able to see what he was doing, but managed to get the box open. He reached in and touched a shape he was very familiar with.  _A gun?_  He asked curiously.  _What kind is it?_

"It's an nineteenth century pistol," Gabriel informed him. "It's an antique, and it's in like-new condition. I had it customized a little bit. I thought you'd appreciate the historical aspect."

Sam made an approving noise in his throat as he felt the gun.  _It feels amazing, Gabe. What are these nubs all up and down the barrel?_

Gabriel chuckled slightly and said, "I may have gotten it...bedazzled?" He made the last word a question, not entirely sure if that's what he meant.

Laughing, Sam rubbed his thumb over the little jewels.  _What kind are they?_

"Emeralds and yellow diamonds," Gabriel answered. "There's some gold in-lay too. Like I said, matches your eyes. Green and gold."

Sam felt a very girly smile on his face, but he didn't care.  _It's awesome, Gabe, thank you._

Gabriel had to whisk the gun away just then, because their dinner was arriving. They ate in comfortable silence occasionally holding hands or commenting on the peaceful atmosphere. It was nice and leisurely.

As desert arrived, Sam leaned forward across the table and thought,  _I have a present for you too._

"Oh?" Gabriel asked with surprise. "What is it?"

Sam took a bite of his desert and nearly lost his train of thought.  _Wow, this is amazing._

Gabriel tried some of his own, and groaned in agreement. "I second that. This is fantastic. Seriously though, Sammy, what's my present?"

Chuckling, Sam took a deep breath and faced Gabriel head-on, wanting to at least have his eyes directed on Gabriel, even if he couldn't actually see him. He drew from all his practice that morning and, using his voice clearly for the first time in months, he said, "I love you."


	15. Talking

For a split second, Sam wished desperately that he had his sight back. More than anything he wanted to see the look on Gabriel's face right now, mostly because the archangel was being uncharacteristically silent and hadn't responded yet in any way.

Not confident in his ability to say much more, Sam tentatively thought,  _Gabe, are you still with me?_

The question must have snapped Gabriel out of shock, because he finally responded. "Yeah...I just...you know...and..." He seemed to be struggling for words.

 _Since you seem to be struggling with coherency how about you try projecting your thoughts into my head so you don't have to say it?_  Sam suggested, taking pity on him.

"Good idea," Gabriel managed to answer.

Sam was suddenly struck with an overpowering sensation of love and adoration flowing from Gabriel, and he could tell that it took a considerable amount of effort for the archangel to reveal these thoughts to Sam mentally. Ideally, a bond between them like they had discussed before would make that easier, but Sam still didn't have his sight back yet, which was the marker on which they'd decided to perform that particular ceremony. For now, Sam was only partial to these brief glimpses into Gabriel's mind.

Finally, Gabriel's overpowering emotions began to gravitate into actual thoughts.

_Dear Father on high, you can talk! Since when can you talk?_

_I can't believe you said I love you out loud! I mean, I know you've said it before, but out loud!_

_Those were your first words. Oh my Father, your first words were I love you!_

Gabriel's thoughts continued in a similar progression until Sam finally felt the archangel slip away from his mind.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bombard you like that," Gabriel apologized quickly. "I was just...a little overwhelmed I think."

Sam smirked.  _Looks like my present went over well then._

"That's an understatement," Gabriel agreed. "When did you get your voice back?"

 _I discovered it this morning while you were gone, but my pronunciation skills are seriously whack. I had to practice over and over again to even get that one phrase to sound normal._  Sam made a face in irritation.  _I guess like everything else it's going to take awhile to come back to me fully._

Gabriel shrugged. "So we practice. A lot. I've got no problem with listening to you talk for hours on end for once. It's hard being the only person participating in a conversation!"

Sam rolled his unseeing eyes at Gabriel in response, but chuckled.  _Practice is good. When I'm good enough I want to call Dean and surprise him._

Gabriel was suddenly grinning broadly. "I got to hear you first!" He practically gloated.

 _I'm glad you're pleased_ , Sam thought with an audible laugh.  _I decided my first real words should be something important._

With more warmth in his voice than Sam had ever heard before, Gabriel said, "I'm honored, Sammy. I love you too."

Sam was aware that he was smiling like an excited child, but he didn't particularly care.  _I'm glad we can both say it now._

"Can you say anything else?" Gabriel asked curiously.

 _I haven't had a lot of success with that. The words sound garbled unless I work hard at it._  Sam admitted, irritated by the difficulty.

"Try," Gabriel prompted. "You have to start practicing sometime."

 _After desert,_  Sam countered.  _We can practice at home._

It was probably a good thing Sam couldn't see the evil grin spread across Gabriel's face as the perfect method of practicing came to him.

* * *

When Gabriel flew them home, he abruptly turned to Sam and said, "I'm no longer responding to your thoughts, Samsquatch. Anything you want to say you have to say out loud. This way, you'll get used to using your voice again."

 _Seriously, Gabe?_  Sam complained, but true to the archangel's word, he didn't give any indication that he had heard the thought.

"Anything you want to say?" Gabriel teased.

"Oor innooing." Sam attempted, irritated at how off the words sounded.

The meaning must have been clear enough, because Gabriel chuckled. "That's not news, kiddo. Tell me something I don't know."

"Oor boschy." Sam tried again, his meaning clearer but the words still not right.

Gabriel laughed out loud. "Also true. Any others?"

"Short," Sam said, grinning in spite of himself when the word sounded exactly as it should.

Gabriel outright ignored the progression, instead choosing to huff in annoyance. "I'm not that short!" He complained. "You're just such a freaking moose that you think I'm a midget!"

Laughing, Sam moved towards the couch he had heard Gabriel sit on and put an arm around the archangel, combing his fingers through the smaller man's golden hair. Concentrating hard, he managed to clearly say, "My short angel."

In spite of himself, Gabriel smiled at the comment and tucked in closer to Sam's body. "Yeah, well. My tall moose."

"Nut eh moosch." Sam attempted, scowling petulantly.

Gabriel reached his head up to kiss Sam's lips comfortingly, smiling against him. "Yeah, you are, but it's okay. You're a cute moose."

Sam suddenly had a flashback to some princess movie that Jess had made him go see with her while he was at Stanford. It occurred to him that the hairstyle that had prompted the comment in the movie was probably possible with his hair, which was not an idea he wanted to give Gabriel. It was good the archangel had stopped listening to his thoughts.

"I am still listening to your thoughts, Sammy, I'm just not responding to them anymore," Gabriel corrected.

Sam frowned at him, causing the archangel to laugh, which made Sam even more irritated. "Donet mesch waf my hair," Sam warned, managing to only get about half of his sentence to sound like actual words.

"Wouldn't dream of it, princess," Gabriel soothed, giving Sam another kiss. "C'mon, keep practicing. I'd imagine you want to sound more like an adult and less like a toddler when you call Dean."

Sam made a face at him, but he knew Gabriel was right so he indulged him, practicing saying random sentences with Gabriel until late into the evening.

* * *

The next morning, Sam took great pleasure in being able to roll over, kiss Gabriel good morning, and say, "Morning, Gabe. I love you." He didn't plan to make a habit of excessive declarations of love, but he was still reveling in the ability to say it at all.

Gabriel chuckled before replying, "I love you too, Samsquatch. What do you want for breakfast?"

"Something sweet," Sam replied, pushing himself out of bed and stretching.

"I'm a bad influence on you," Gabriel said with a grin, entirely unrepentant.

Sam kept his hands in front of him as he made his way to the bathroom, still not entirely confident in his ability to not run into anything. "Don't care," he responded through the door.

Gabriel chuckled like that. "I'll be in the kitchen, kiddo."

The hunter joined Gabriel in the kitchen a few minutes later, sniffing appreciatively. "What's that smell?" He asked, smiling at how easily he was able to speak now that he'd spent so much time working at it.

"Crepes from a small place in Normandy," Gabriel answered, sliding a plate towards Sam's seat at the table. "Complete with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar."

"I said sweet, Gabe, not a heart attack!" Sam jokingly teased, quickly taking a bite from his plate to prove he was okay with this breakfast choice.

"As if I'd let you have a heart attack," Gabriel scoffed, taking his seat across from Sam. "This stuff is amazing."

Sam murmured in agreement, shoveling another bite into his mouth.

"So," Gabriel began conversationally, "Are you feeling up to calling Dean today?"

Sam nodded, waiting until he swallowed to say, "Yeah, definitely. I'm not even stumbling on my words anymore."

Gabriel made a noise of approval. "You never lost your knowledge of how to talk, so all you had to do was dust the cobwebs off to get back in business. My grace helps with that too. That's part of the reason you didn't have more trouble with your legs after so long without using them."

"Thanks," Sam offered, not sure what else to say to that. "It's a huge relief to be able to talk and walk at the very least."

"I'm relieved too," Gabriel admitted. "I was worried in the beginning that even I couldn't fix you."

"You were the perfect person to fix me," Sam countered, polishing off his crepe and licking the plate for good measure.

"And give you a sugar addiction, apparently," Gabriel noted, eyeing the chocolate sauce Sam had managed to get on his nose.

"Appreciating it every once in awhile is not an addiction, Gabe!" Sam argued, reaching up to swipe the sauce off his nose and lick it off his finger. "Besides, chocolate gets a pass."

Laughing, Gabriel finished off his own crepe and made the dishes disappear so he could turn his attention back to Sam. "I guess there are worse habits you could have picked up from me."

"True," Sam acknowledged. "Before we get into any more stories of epic pranking though, where's my phone?"

Gabriel snapped the phone into Sam's hand, grinning as the hunter jumped slightly.

"Thanks, Gabe." Sam said, pleased, hitting the first speed dial on his phone out of habit and then putting it on speaker phone. Turning back to Gabriel he set the phone down on the table and mouthed, "Be good!"

"I'm always good!" Gabriel hissed back, but he was quiet when the phone connected.

"Gabriel?" Dean's highly irritated voice came through the speaker, expecting the archangel who'd been acting as translator for Sam for so long.

"Guess again, dude," Sam said casually.

There was a pause, then Dean was abruptly yelling into the phone. "HOLY CRAP, SAM?! YOU CAN TALK AGAIN?! SINCE WHEN?!"

"Dean, take a deep breath," Sam instructed, his tone amused.

Dean paused again, before replying with, "Sorry, you caught me off guard. When did your voice come back."

"Technically yesterday, but I couldn't really say much and sound coherent, so I had to practice until my vocabulary was rust-free." Sam explained. "Gabriel helped me until I could talk without stumbling over every syllable."

Suddenly irritated, Dean demanded, "Did the bastard tell you what he did to our motel room?"

Sam chuckled. "Not in great detail, but yeah, I knew about it."

Now Dean was mad at Sam too. "And you didn't tell him not to?"

"I thought it was funny," Sam said casually.

"Dude, he turned our whole room fuschia and made it into this Valentine's Day reject horror show! There were hearts everywhere, and glitter on everything! Plus, he left us a bunch of sex toys! How messed up is that?" Dean's irritation increased as he went on, especially after he realized Sam was laughing.

"Oh man, glitter? That's priceless. How did Cas react?" Sam asked eagerly.

"It's not funny!" Dean snapped. "Cas was...well, Cas, you know, he doesn't really strongly react to stuff. He seemed pleased with...some aspects...and I was fine once I convinced him to get rid of some of the excessive pink. The glitter was a nightmare though, we're still finding it in our stuff!"

The conversation Sam had had with Castiel a few weeks earlier about how they had enjoyed certain aspects of the room over others made a lot more sense now that Sam knew Gabriel had left the couple sex toys in their 'lover's paradise' room. "Face it, Dean, it's funny. Get over it. Gabe's not going anywhere, so you're going to have to deal with him eventually."

"Can he hear me?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, he's here," Sam affirmed. "Why?"

"Gabriel, I swear to God -" Dean started to say.

The archangel interrupted him. "Sam already made me promise not to touch the Impala, Dean-o, and that's as good a deal as you're going to get out of me."

There was a pause, then Dean reluctantly said, "I guess I can live with that."

In the background Sam and Gabriel could hear Castiel comment with, "It isn't as though the prank was without its merits, Dean."

"Woah, I don't want to hear anything about those merits," Sam stated firmly. "I'm going to hang up now. We'll talk again soon."

"All right, all right," Dean agreed. "Sam, it's good to hear you again. You let me know the minute you're one hundred percent, alright?"

"Of course, Dean. You and Cas stay safe, alright?" Sam felt more concerned about them when he couldn't be there, even though he knew that Castiel wouldn't let anything happen to Dean, and vice versa.

"We'll do our best. Talk to you guys later." Dean hung up the phone.

Smiling, Sam pocketed his phone and turned in Gabriel's general direction. "You gave them sex toys?" He asked.

"It was worth it. I've never seen Dean that color of red before. You get all adorable and pretty when you're embarrassed. He turns into a critical nuclear reactor." Gabriel's amusement was clear in his voice.

Sam blushed automatically at the comment, but chuckled at the description of his brother as well. "Yeah, that's true," he acknowledged.

"I didn't stay to watch, but I'd say what Cas told you proves that it all worked out." Gabriel sounded overly satisfied with himself.

Chuckling, Sam nodded. "Everything seems to be doing that now."

"Doing what?" Gabriel prompted.

"Working out. I'm getting better, I've got you now, and Dean and Cas are together and doing well. It's just feels like everything's right for once." Sam was mildly concerned about sounding sappy, but decided he didn't really care.

"I've definitely got the best end of the stick," Gabriel insisted, moving to settle himself in Sam's lap.

"That's debatable," Sam teased, and he made sure that Gabriel's lips were too busy to argue back.


	16. Lights

Despite the fact that Sam could talk now, he made it clear to Gabriel early on that he wanted their mental connection to stay open. Obviously he couldn't hear Gabriel's thoughts unless the archangel allowed him to, which took a lot of effort, but he had gotten so used to Gabriel knowing all of his thoughts all the time that he didn't want to sever the connection. It was good practice for their eventual bond as well, since according to Gabriel it would strengthen their emotional and mental connections.

Sam and Gabriel spent the next several weeks taking field trips and talking a lot, much as they had before. Now their trips were punctuated with visits to Dean and Castiel whenever the pair was on a break from a hunt, and even occasionally to Bobby, who had gruffly informed Sam that it was damn good to hear his voice again.

The only other major progression in Sam and Gabriel's relationship was that apparently Sam no longer qualified as enough of an invalid to warrant being exempt from Gabriel's desire to pull pranks. Sam had requested that Gabriel put a map of the palace into his mind, which Sam had used to help navigate around the massive building since he still couldn't see. He would use his hands on corners to help identify where he was going. Not long after he got his voice back, Gabriel began moving little things - like walls - to different places to screw Sam up, then putting them back where they went before Sam was entirely sure where he'd managed to make a wrong turn. Gabriel managed to do this four times before Sam figured out what he was doing, and the archangel had ended up having to get Sam an elaborate chocolate cake from some bakery in France to apologize. Sam admitted that he wasn't really that pissed, but the fact that Gabriel was willing to be generous with an apology was heartwarming.

The next prank, which happened a week and a half later, would have ended with Gabriel's head on a platter if not for the fact that Sam couldn't actually see the archangel to execute him. While Sam as a teenager had been horrified by the time Dean put Nair in his shampoo, this prank was infinitely worse. He woke up one morning with his hair feeling slightly off. More than slightly, as it turned out, because when Sam went to feel his hair he discovered that he'd been given a perm via angelic powers. Gabriel had hidden for most of the day, dodging out of the way whenever Sam managed to get close to him inside the palace. Eventually the archangel had revealed himself, combed his fingers through Sam's puffy curled head to smooth the hair back out again with his grace, and groveled until Sam reluctantly forgave him.

Sam's hair was now on the list of things Gabriel was not allowed to screw with, a list that had until the perm incident only included the Impala. It took a few days, but Sam was finally able to find the incident amusing, under the guarantee that Dean would never hear about it.

Not quite a week after the perm incident, Sam woke up with a start, completely confused by the onslaught of light coming through his eyes. Turning slightly, he could make out a shadow, which he knew by touch was Gabriel. "Gabe?" He asked, confused.

"What's up, Samsquatch?" Gabriel asked, his tone concerned by the obvious confusion on Sam's face.

"Uh...I'm not entirely sure." Sam sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing around the room. The fact that he could glance around the room was new, but he still couldn't really see anything. He could find the sources of light in the room, which seemed to be a ceiling light and two windows, and could see the vague outlines and shadows of things, but that was it. "I think I've got some basic vision. Or else the light in here has gotten a hell of a light brighter overnight."

Gabriel was suddenly excited, shifting on the bed so he could face Sam. "Seriously? That's awesome! How many fingers am I holding up?"

Sam squinted at the large shadow that was obviously Gabriel, but all he could really tell was that the archangel was holding his arm out. "I can see the general shape of you, but not distinct details. It's all light and shadows."

"Huh," Gabriel made an interested noise in the back of his throat. "So it's coming back in stages then. Is everything fuzzy?"

"Kind of. I'm not seeing anything defined enough to say if it's fuzzy or clear. You're kind of a big shape, and I can see your general form, but not distinctly. Kind of blurred I guess?" Sam struggled to explain what he was seeing, but ended up shaking his head. "I don't know how to describe it. Can you see it from my head?"

Gabriel reached into Sam's mind, which he only really kept mild tabs on for Sam's thoughts, and latched onto what the hunter was seeing. "That's interesting," he mused. "You're right, it's all kind of blurry, and only light and shadow. I wonder..." Gabriel got up and walked to the wall, where the light switch was. "Let me know how this looks." He proceeded to flip the light switch on and off quickly, creating a strobe effect.

"Okay, I can see that," Sam confirmed quickly. "It's like the whole room is flashing on and off, except that light is still coming in through the windows. I can definitely see the light fluctuate though."

"Hey, light and dark is better than nothing," Gabriel offered, excited. "Plus, I have a great idea of a field trip we can take, and all you'll really need to see is light and dark anyway."

Sam narrowed his eyes at Gabriel, briefly grateful that he could at least know where to look to be facing the archangel now. "Where?" He asked hesitantly.

"It's a surprise!" Gabriel chastised him. "You'll need to dress in something cool though," he added. "Think what you would wear to a club."

Sam gave him a blank look. "There's two problems with that. One, when have I ever spent any time going out to clubs? Two, I still can't exactly see my clothes, and if I'm going out somewhere then jeans and flannel probably isn't going to cut it."

Gabriel chuckled. "True. Not that I don't love hunter couture, but maybe I should dress you for this outing."

"As long as it's not something ridiculous," Sam warned him.

Gabriel made a scoffing noise. "What, you don't trust me?"

Sam let his mind roll over the perm incident, and waited until Gabriel made a noise of acknowledgement before letting the memory go.

"All right, point taken. Hang on." Gabriel snapped his fingers and Sam felt his clothing change and, in some places, tighten. "How's that?"

Taking stock of what he could feel, Sam was vaguely aware that he was wearing nice boots of some kind, and really expensive jeans that were practically molded to his ass. So far, so good. Not that he's typically choose those kind of pants, but it didn't hurt to give Gabriel something to stare at. His shirt was a sleek button down that framed his form well, and he made a noise of appreciation. "Okay, not bad. I think I'll be all right going out in public like this. What color is the shirt?"

"Forest green," Gabriel informed him, reaching up and messing with the collar, popping open a few buttons and pulling it apart like he was preparing a display. "Man, you look hot."

"What are you wearing?" Sam asked, curious now.

Gabriel snapped his fingers again and Sam was dimly aware of the archangel's outline shifting slightly with the change. "Same kind of outfit," Gabriel informed him. "My shirt is maroon though."

Sam made a noise of appreciation and stood up, stretching slightly and smirking slightly at how the pants fit him like a glove. He could practically feel Gabriel ogling him. "All right, so where are we going, Gabe?"

"I'll show you!" Gabriel exclaimed, his tone abruptly excited. With another snap, the scenery changed.

Blaring techno beats suddenly filled Sam's ears, and he nearly toppled over in surprise. Instead he gripped Gabriel's shoulder for support, staring around wildly at a room full of dancing shadows and flashing lights.  _Where are we?_  He thought, confident that the archangel couldn't hear him in this room.

"Concert!" Gabriel yelled at him in response, grabbing Sam's hand and leading him to a seating area where the hunter could barely make out the shadowy form of a stage surrounded by hordes of people. "Lots of flashing lights!" Gabriel added, as if that wasn't already obvious.

Suddenly the archangel's logic made sense, and Sam began to focus on the lights and shadows with more purpose. It was kind of the ideal environment for his limited sight. After all, the point of a concert was the music, if this techno stuff even counted, and the lights were mostly just to create an environment. For Sam though, the strobe lighting and pulsating beams of light all over the room gave him something to concentrate on, and he felt like his grasp on where things were and what they were grew stronger the harder he focused. As this occurred to him, he thought about informing Gabriel before realizing the archangel was flat out head banging next to him. That made Sam laugh, and he decided to make the most of the atmosphere on his own. He and Gabriel could practice whatever they wanted once they got home. For now, Sam was content to follow the path of the lights in the room and work on identifying the shape of various shadows. Once he had that down, maybe the rest of his sight would return. Until then, surely Gabriel had an arsenal of ways to help the hunter get used to his new light-oriented vision.


	17. Colors

It was another four days before Sam's vision changed again, and Gabriel had taken to waking him every morning by flickering a strobe light in his face. While Sam appreciated the fact that he could actually see the flashing light, it was a really obnoxious way to wake up, and he got in the habit of trying to smack the archangel in reaction. He only succeeded once, and now Gabriel just danced out of the way in the nick of time to avoid the annoyed swat.

The morning Sam's eyesight changed again, Gabriel had let him sleep in for once. They had been out late in Paris watching the Eiffel Tower's lights flicker, which Sam had to admit looked pretty awesome, even if to his eyes it was just a pointy blob with a bunch of twinkling lights. Sam woke up slowly, stretching and yawning, automatically encircling Gabriel with his arms.

"Morning, Samsquatch," Gabriel said warmly, brushing his lips against Sam's temple.

"Mmmm," Sam responded, not ready to actually have a conversation.

Gabriel chuckled and started playing with Sam's hair, only running his fingers through it. He knew better than to actually do anything to Sam's hair now if he valued his life.

Sam yawned again and opened his eyes gradually. He sat up almost immediately after doing so, staring at Gabriel with a shocked expression on his face.

"What?" Gabriel demanded, startled by the sudden motion.

"You're wearing a red shirt," Sam informed him triumphantly, grinning like an idiot.

It took Gabriel a second to fixate on the meaning behind that statement, then he was excited too. "Colors?" He asked, his grin broad.

"Just colors," Sam confirmed. "You're still blurry as hell, but I can see colors. You're like a mush of gold, red, and blue." He gestured to Gabriel's head, torso, and legs as he named off each color.

"Gold?" Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your hair is almost gold when the light catches it just right," Sam explained, well aware that he sounded like a total girl. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything!" Gabriel protested, but he chuckled.

"I know you were thinking it." Sam glanced around the room and did a double take. "Have the walls always been fuchsia?" He asked suspiciously. "I feel like Dean would have mentioned that."

Gabriel laughed out loud at that. "Nah, this room is usually just white. I change details when I'm bored. It's been pink since I started calling you princess, and Dean hasn't been to the palace since then because we keep visiting him instead."

Satisfied with that explanation, Sam relaxed against Gabriel and smirked. "I actually look good in pink," he admitted. "Not that you're ever going to get me to wear it." Gabriel snapped his fingers, and Sam didn't even have to look down to know that his sleep clothes were pink now. "Willingly," Sam amended, giving Gabriel his best bitchface.

Gabriel chuckled and snapped again. "Fine, you win. So how do you want to celebrate your new step towards one hundred percent health? We could go to another concert so you can see what the lights look like in color."

Sam shook his head immediately. "Once was enough. Not that it wasn't great, but I had a bitch of a headache after that."

"Which I healed," Gabriel reminded him, obviously not considering that to be a deterrent.

"Still. I've never been anywhere that loud in my life, and I live with you." Sam grinned as he said this last part.

"I'm not that loud," Gabriel disagreed, but his tone was humored.

"Yeah you are," Sam told him, smiling sweetly and reaching up to kiss him softly on the lips. "It's okay though, I love you anyway."

"You're adorable in the mornings," Gabriel told him, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Only in the mornings?" Sam asked, fake pouting.

"Yep. Once I let you out of bed and you get dressed in those jeans? Then you're just damn sexy," Gabriel informed him.

Sam laughed. "I'm glad you approve of my choice in denim," he said wryly.

"So?" Gabriel prompted. "Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know," Sam huffed. "Somewhere colorful, but not so historically significant that I'm going to be pissed I can't properly see it."

Gabriel made a face at him. "You're so hard to please. I was thinking art museum, but you'd probably appreciate that more when the paintings aren't all blurry."

"Give the archangel a prize," Sam teased.

Gabriel bonked him on the nose and stuck out his tongue, even though he knew Sam still couldn't see that much detail. Suddenly he brightened, and a slow smile spread across his face. "I know just the place."

Raising an eyebrow, Sam shifted out of bed to stretch. "All right then. I'll get dressed and you can surprise me."

Gabriel lounged back on the bed and gestured towards Sam. "Go right ahead," he said with a grin.

"Pervert," Sam shot at him, but he was smiling too as he stripped off his sleep pants.

Once Sam was dressed in his typical clothes and Gabriel had refreshed his own wardrobe, the archangel gripped his shoulder and they vanished.

It took Sam a moment to adjust, then he felt attacked by an onslaught of color. Everything around him, for as far as he could see, was vibrant green with pinpricks of bright colors in strips down what he assumed were fields. "Holy..." He breathed, overwhelmed by the colors.

"Close," Gabriel commented. "Not holy though. This is Holland."

Sam made a noise of comprehension and nodded. "Tulips," he murmured, turning his gaze around to see more rows of color. There was orange, yellow, red, purple, blue, and pink, and it seemed to stretch on forever.

"What do you think?" Gabriel asked. He hadn't been to Holland himself in years, and never before to only admire the scenery. It was pretty gorgeous when you actually stopped to look at it.

"It's amazing, Gabe," Sam told him earnestly. "I've never seen so much color in my life. This is...just, wow." It might not be particularly eloquent, but Sam wasn't sure how else to describe the fields. He'd never really had a chance to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, let alone admire the tulips, so this was a new experience on multiple levels.

"I can't say I've ever spent much time admiring the scenery," Gabriel admitted, following Sam's train of thought. "It's worth it though, especially with you. You're just so damn impressed by everything, it makes me see the wonder in stuff that was old news to me in the dark ages."

Sam grinned at him, amused at the reminder of Gabriel's age. "You're just a grumpy old man, I guess," he commented, smirking.

Gabriel growled at him and jumped on Sam's back. He had discovered awhile ago that Sam was perfectly capable of carrying him, and thus piggyback rides were totally acceptable. At least to the archangel. "Hey, respect your elders, punk!"

Sam snorted. "Right. I totally respect the demanding celestial being who just launched himself at me for a piggyback ride."

"Shut up, you know you love me." Gabriel retorted, tightening his grip around Sam's neck and nuzzling him.

Sam chuckled and reached up to ruffle Gabriel's hair. "Yeah, that's true. Who else takes me on world vacations and gives me sugar?"

"Is that all I am?" Gabriel feigned offense. "A cheap ride with snacks?"

"A cheap ride with snacks who's insanely hot and one of the most powerful beings in existence," Sam corrected, smiling at Gabriel fondly.

"Yeah, that's true," Gabriel agreed, repeating Sam's previous words.

Sam laughed and fell backwards, landing on Gabriel and flipping over so they were facing each other, ignoring the archangel's startled huff. "I wish I could see your face," Sam muttered, disgruntled.

"Soon," Gabriel told him. "You've been getting better faster and faster. The minute you wake up with perfect vision, you and I are bonding and it's going to be amazing. After that, we're going to go surprise Dean and Cas, then Bobby, and then we're going on a tour of every interesting thing I can think of to blow your mind. How's that sound?"

Grinning broadly, Sam moved down to kiss Gabriel, not releasing him until the need to breathe asserted itself. "Sounds amazing, Gabe," he murmured.

"Good," Gabriel replied, gazing at his hunter fondly. "Cause that's only the beginning."


	18. Bonded

One might think that Gabriel would eventually run out of things for Sam to experience with his limited vision, but that was not the case. The archangel had an endless imagination, and had taken Sam everywhere from a jelly bean factor to a fashion show to experience vibrant colors and lights. While occasionally the field trips were exhausting, Sam really appreciated Gabriel's efforts to keep him happy when his progress slowed down. They continued visiting places for their colors and lights for another two weeks after Sam got his ability to see colors back, and there were no signs of any further progress with Sam's eyes.

Sam found that disheartening, having expected to get the rest of his sight back sooner. Now that it was within reach, he was impatient to see Gabriel again for real, for the first time since they had fallen in love, and he was extremely impatient to bond with the archangel, like he had promised. He was more than ready for both of those events, and neither one would happen until he could see again.

About three weeks after Sam had gained the ability to see colors, he awoke to a still dark room. Gabriel was sitting quietly beside him, his arm around Sam but otherwise still.

"Gabe?" Sam asked quietly, shifting closer to the archangel. "What time is it?"

That was kind of a complicated question, given that Gabriel's palace didn't really exist within a time zone, but he had kept the general area in the same time zone he'd acquired Sam from, which made it early morning. "Five in the morning, princess. Go back to sleep." He combed Sam's hair back from his face and grazed his lips gently across Sam's forehead.

"Nah, I'm already awake," Sam replied with a yawn, stretching slightly and rubbing his eyes. "Maybe I can go running or something."

Gabriel sighed dramatically at him, but snapped the light on with his fingers, allowing Sam to stretch off the bed and properly open his eyes to the morning.

"HOLY CRAP." Sam blurted, staring wide-eyed at Gabriel.

"Not a substance usually considered to be holy, Samsquatch. What's got your knickers in a twist?" Gabriel looked around, not sure what Sam was finding so fascinating about him all of a sudden.

Sam moved forward suddenly, knocking Gabriel back against the bed and kissing him firmly, the kiss becoming more passionate as the confused archangel melted into the hunter's affections.

They finally pulled away, and Gabriel stared at Sam, only to realize that the hunter was looking at him with real focus, and none of the squinting or slightly off glances he'd been using for the past few months. "Sammy," he whispered in awe, "Is your sight back?"

In answer, Sam traced the shape of Gabriel's face with his fingers, mapping for himself the face he'd been dreaming about seeing again for so long. "You have no idea how good it is to finally see you," he murmured, pressing his lips back down to Gabriel's again.

Overjoyed, Gabriel suddenly flipped them so he was on top of Sam and continued the kissing enthusiastically, relishing the knowledge that he had really managed to heal Sam. His hunter was going to be just fine, and all because somehow Sam and Gabriel had managed to make a connection with each other that could overpower a witch's curse.

"Is it really screwed up if I'm happy I got cursed?" Sam asked, taking a quick break from Gabriel's lips to catch his breath.

"If it is, than I'm much worse, because I'm freaking ecstatic that you got cursed," Gabriel teased, moving to capture Sam's neck with his teeth, completely distracting Sam from their attempt at conversation.

They continued like that for awhile, constantly shifting around each other and placing kisses in new places, as though relearning each other now that both parties had all their senses intact.

Finally, Gabriel parted from Sam and looked at the hunter contemplatively. "You know, I made a promise to you awhile back."

"You said we would bond when I got my sight back," Sam responded, remembering the conversation well.

Gabriel nodded, pleased. "Now, as much fun as this is, it'll be about a thousand times better after we're bonded, so do you think we can be patient a little longer?"

Sam looked mildly put out, but smiled at Gabriel and gave him a quick peck. "I'm sure I can contain myself, Gabe."

"Awesome, because I have a present for you too, and I've been impatient for you to see it." Gabriel grinned broadly and tugged on Sam's hand. "Come on, let's go into the living room. We can have a fire and put out all the blankets on the floor and stuff." He looked so excited that Sam simply chuckled and followed him out of the room, examining the palace with his now functioning eyes for the first time.

"You know you're going to have to give me a new tour of the palace, right?" Sam told him with a nudge, gazing around at the elaborate architecture.

"Eventually," Gabriel acknowledged. "First though, priorities. Here, I've been working on this for you. I may have had to use some of my powers to get the pictures, but everything else I did by hand." He handed a box to Sam and rocked back and forth on his feet, looking excited and nervous.

Curious, Sam slowly opened the box to pull out a photo album. Opening the cover revealed that it was a scrapbook, and a rather elaborate one at that. The very first picture was of Sam and Gabriel together at the restaurant in Rome, wearing their fancy suits. The caption below the picture was "I Love You," and the smiles on their faces were rapturous. The next page was a picture of what looked like a pink and glittery explosion in a room, right next to a picture of a confused Castiel and livid Dean. The caption for this page was "Pranking Our Brothers." The opposite page was a picture of Sam in his wheelchair looking disgruntled, with a caption that read "First Fieldtrip." The next page was a picture of Sam with his hair braided into a circlet, and the caption said "My Princess," followed by a picture of Sam with a perm and a caption that read "The Time My Princess Almost Killed Me." The rest of the pictures were of their various dates, including the tulip field, a river in Asia, a resort in Alaska under the Aurora Borealis, and several others. Each had a relevant caption, and Sam flipped through them all slowly, unable to keep the smile off his face.

Gabriel was practically bouncing as he scrutinized Sam's every reaction to the gift. "Well?" He finally asked, impatient for a response.

"This is amazing, Gabe," Sam replied quietly, not trusting himself to not tear up in reaction to the scrapbook. "Seriously, it's...just, wow."

Pleased with himself, Gabriel grinned and slowly took the book from Sam, setting it on a table to the side and leading his hunter to the clear space in front of the fireplace, snapping a fire into the empty spot as he did so. "It's time for us to bond, princess. We've made it this far, and I'm beyond ready to take this final step with you."

Sam followed eagerly, sitting across from Gabriel and smiling broadly. "I've been waiting for this for so long, Gabe."

Gazing with wonder at Sam, Gabriel held out his hands and took Sam's larger hands in his own. "There's two parts to this. Because you're human, most of the bond between us will be a result of Enochian spellwork. I'll cement the bond with my mark. First, repeat after me. Allar Gmicalzoma Ioiad."

Sam repeated the words, raising an eyebrow at Gabriel with interest.

"That part is you requesting to be bound to me. Now, I say Amipzi Nanaeel Nonca." Gabriel spoke the Enochian words with an undercut of power in his voice. "That's me pledging my grace to you. Now, together we say Zirdo Zomdv Parach."

Sam waited for Gabriel's indication, than spoke the final words with him.

Hesitating slightly, Gabriel released Sam's hands and held up his right, dominant hand slowly. "Are you ready?"

"Absolutely. Do it," Sam urged in response.

"Any location preference?" Gabriel offered, taking note of the fact that Sam was gloriously shirtless at the moment, in only his sleep pants.

Sam considered that for a second, then slid his sleep pants slightly down until his hip bone on the right side was visible. "Here," he said quietly.

There was an almost predatory gleam in Gabriel's eyes in response to that, but it was tempered by the overwhelming sense of love pouring from him. "Of course. You might want to hang onto something, Sammy. This is going to hurt." With that brief warning, Gabriel gripped Sam's hip, muttering in Enochian under his breath as a bright searing light filled the room.

Sam turned his eyes away, doing his best to keep his expression straight, despite the intense pain in his hip. He sucked in a deep breath and bit his lip, determined not to make a sound. Slowly, the pain faded and the light dimmed, and soon there was just the sensation of Gabriel pulling him close.

"It's done," Gabriel murmured, clutching Sam to himself and kissing the top of the hunter's head. "You're mine now, princess. Forever." There was a soft smile on his face as he said this.

His expression mirroring Gabriel's, Sam tilted his face up until he could see the archangel, then reached up and pulled Gabriel down into a firm kiss. He let him go slightly and replied, "Yours, Gabe. Forever."


	19. Loved

Despite the fact that Sam had just experienced a searing pain in his hip and was feeling pretty drained, something about kissing Gabriel revitalized him. He didn't know if that was just because the archangel was a pretty damn good kisser or if Gabriel was also using his grace to help Sam regain his energy.

"Want to see something cool?" Gabriel murmured, pulling away slightly from Sam so the hunter could see his eyes dance with excitement.

Sam nodded, curious. He watched as Gabriel shifted the fabric of his sleep pants out of the way again, not quite exposing him in either the back or the front, only showing off the new handprint the hunter had acquired. Gabriel slowly placed his hand against the mark, lining his fingers up perfectly with the scar, and smiled mischievously. Sam barely had time to blink before he was being overwhelmed with emotions that weren't his. Peace. Joy. Pleasure. Possessiveness. Excitement. Pride. Lust. That last one was so strong that Sam nearly collapsed backwards with the weight of it.

"What do you think?" Gabriel asked softly, withdrawing his hand and pulling Sam onto his lap, which was one of their favorite ways to sit together, despite how ridiculous it looked with the height difference.

"I'm not sure there are words," Sam replied, his tone awed. "That was..." He had been right the first time. He couldn't put it into words.

Gabriel chuckled and tucked a stray hair behind Sam's ear. "I can do that without touching my mark, but it's a lot stronger with the contact."

"So I gathered," Sam attempted to say wryly, but his voice was breathless enough that it didn't sound quite like it meant it to. "Can I do that back to you?"

"Of course," Gabriel told him. "Here, it's easier with the contact. This time I'll leave the connection open instead of sending you anything. Just do what feels natural." He shifted Sam's sleep pants again and replaced his hand on his mark.

This time there was a pause, and Sam thought he could feel their connection. It was like an open channel binding them together, allowing them equal access into the very essence of each other. Sam took a deep breath, visualizing it as best he could, and started to send across his own feelings to Gabriel.

The archangel was less reactive to Sam's emotions than Sam had been to Gabriel's, but his expression was practically reverent as he received Sam's thoughts. Contentment. Security. Euphoria. Belonging. Hope. Adoration. Lust.

Sam took a deep breath as Gabriel's hand moved from his hip to cradle the back of Sam's neck. "I like being able to do that," Sam admitted.

"It's handy, isn't it?" Gabriel agreed with a smile, rubbing Sam's neck with his thumb. "You know, I made you another promise."

"I remember," Sam was quick to tell him. "I've been waiting for that one to be fulfilled for an eternity."

Gabriel quirked an eyebrow at him. "An eternity, huh?" He teased.

Sam almost stuck his tongue out at the archangel but settled for making a face instead. "Whatever. It was a long wait."

"Then I guess it's time I delivered then, isn't it?" Gabriel asked, moving closer to Sam and breathing the question in his ear with a smirk.

Practically growling with impatience, Sam shifted until his lips were on Gabriel's, claiming his mate's mouth and exploring it with his tongue like he had never felt Gabriel before. That was of course not the case, the two had been quite active kissers for some time, but something about this new connection made the experience feel brand new, and that was exciting.

Gabriel was perfectly willing to oblige his hunter, throwing just as much of himself into the kiss as Sam was. He had thousands of years under his belt, hundreds of thousands of different memories and experiences to draw from, but every movement and action with Sam was something entirely new and different. This was his mate, and this was as close to the true meaning of Heaven as Gabriel ever expected to see again.

Sam's focus changed slightly, breaking away from Gabriel just long enough to remove the archangel's thin shirt, feeling grateful that he didn't have to worry about getting rid of his own, since he was already shirtless. Now he had more of Gabriel to explore, and his hands took advantage of that, tracing the archangel's chest while Sam diverted from Gabriel's mouth to his neck.

Smirking at Sam's sucking and nibbling on his neck, Gabriel tilted his head to the right angle and went after Sam's neck, succeeding in drawing a wanton moan from the hunter with a single bite on his neck. Pleased, Gabriel sucked on the spot and moved on, repeating the motion several times along Sam's collarbone until the hunter was distracted enough to pause his attentions on Gabriel's body. Taking advantage of the momentary lapse in activity, Gabriel pushed Sam backwards, landing on top of his firm chest and pressing their steadily growing erections together. The sudden friction caused by the movement had both of them hard in an instant, and Gabriel grinned at the desperate expression on Sam's face.

"Gabe," Sam managed to say, "I need -"

Gabriel cut off Sam's words with his mouth, kissing the hunter again with fervor while he went snapped his fingers, removing the remaining clothing items so he and his mate could be skin on skin. Sam's reaction was the best thing Gabriel thought he had ever witnessed. The hunter arched his back at the sudden contact, and responded with an intense passion in the kiss, nearly gaining control from Gabriel, who had thus far been dominating the kiss.

The archangel wasn't having that, and proceeded to distract Sam rather effectively by grinding their hips together, taking immense pleasure from the fact that that simple motion caused the hunter to lose all train of thought, giving Gabriel control over the kiss once more.

A desire for air caused Sam to break away from Gabriel, gasping loudly and barely concealing his moan at Gabriel's continued friction. His eyes were wild and verging on desperate, a look that went straight to Gabriel's already hard cock.

Gabriel wasn't quite ready to get to the good part yet. Well, no, that wasn't true. He was beyond ready, but foreplay was half the fun, and the other half was teasing Sam relentlessly, a task Gabriel was quite good at. He shifted away from Sam's lips and moved downward suddenly, swallowing the hunter's impressive erection with ease and sucking hard.

The sudden onslaught of new sensations had Sam scrambling to get a grip on something, anything, before he collapsed. He settled for Gabriel's hair, not guiding the archangel so much as following the motions that were causing Sam to come undone.

It was clear to Gabriel that Sam wasn't going to last long if the archangel kept it up, so after one last hard suck he pulled off of Sam's cock, winking at the hunter who looked like he was so desperate he might just explode if Gabriel didn't do something.

"Don't worry, Sammy," Gabriel told him confidently. "I've got you." He reached behind Sam to grip the hunter's ass firmly, grinning at the reaction on Sam's face. Clearly his intent was understood.

Sam had never had sex with a man before, and Gabriel was the only man he'd ever even kissed. The mechanics were a little bit beyond him, but he thought he understood the gist of it. When his mate gestured for Sam to turn around the hunter complied, spreading his legs automatically to provide better access.

"You're gorgeous, princess," Gabriel murmured, trailing kisses down his back until he reached Sam's hole, pausing to smile at the shiver going down Sam's spine before delving in with his tongue, causing an entirely new spasm of ecstasy to overcome his mate.

"Gabe," Sam gasped, struggling to stay still. "Please! Now!"

Pleased with Sam's plea, Gabriel snapped his fingers and thrust his fingers into a jar of lube, lining one up with Sam's hole and pressing it in slowly.

Sam tried to remain as still as he could, but he still shuddered from the sensation. It was different than what he'd expected. It ached a little bit, but it didn't really hurt the way he'd assumed it might on his first try. After a few thrusts with one finger, Sam felt a second being added. That did hurt a little, but the motion and smoothness eased that quickly, and the stretching motions of Gabriel's fingers was a feeling Sam never wanted to stop. Suddenly, Gabriel curved his fingers sharply, jabbing Sam's prostate and causing the hunter to keen, gasping in shock and wonder at the sensation.

"Just wait, kiddo, it only gets better," Gabriel told him, his voice low and indicative of his own impatience to finally experience this with his mate. Removing his fingers and lubing up his erection swiftly, Gabriel shifted into position, allowing Sam to relax before he gently probed the hunter's entrance with the head of his cock. "Ready?" He asked gently.

"YES," Sam replied emphatically, using every ounce of self control he had not to push himself back into Gabriel, but to allow Gabriel to move into him.

Needing no further encouragement, Gabriel entered his mate with one swift movement, pausing once he was encased within Sam to allow the hunter to adjust.

"Gabe," Sam finally gasped exasperatedly. " _MOVE_."

Gabriel obliged, pulling almost all the way out before swiftly thrusting back in, striking Sam's prostate as he did so.

Sam moved into rhythm with Gabriel, moaning loudly each time the archangel hit that perfect spot, which seemed to happen with every thrust. Sam was positive that he wasn't going to last much longer, which he attempted to convey to Gabriel, although he wasn't sure what came out were actual words.

Regardless of Sam's inability to be coherent with Gabriel inside of him, the archangel understood his meaning fine. Shifting his grip on Sam, he lined up his hand with his mark once more to allow their bond to open fully, and the desperation and immediateness of release flowed from them both, informing the other of how close they were. Gabriel shifted his other hand to grip Sam's erection, rubbing up and down swiftly, knowing they were both seconds from climax.

Sam came first, but only fractionally. They cried out nearly in unison, Sam's release painting the blankets on the floor while Gabriel filled him. The archangel did not move his hand from Sam's hip, and the near constant flow of ecstasy and love flowing between them was just as overpowering as the orgasm.

Sam collapsed, not really registering that he was lying in his own cum, and Gabriel slowly slid out of him and lay next to him, one hand moving over to lazily play with Sam's hair. "Worth the wait?" He asked after a moment.

"Hell yes," Sam replied, his words muffled by the blankets. He shifted his head until he could meet Gabriel's eyes, not really feeling capable of much more movement than that. "I feel like mindblowing is a good adjective here," he commented as coherently as he could manage.

Gabriel looked pleased with himself, and turned slightly so he could kiss Sam. "I have to say, Sammy, the top two memories on my favorites list have just been bumped down a few pegs to make room for today."

"So what did our binding and sex bump off the top?" Sam asked curiously, still not moving from his frankly quite comfortable position on the floor.

"You saying I love you in Rome and the look on your face when you realized I'd given you a perm," Gabriel said seriously, rolling out of the way in time to avoid Sam's half-hearted smack. "Hey, the I love you was number one! Well, number three now."

Smiling at that, Sam had to chuckle. "Well, staying with you is definitely the best decision I ever made."

"It wasn't your idea," Gabriel pointed out with amusement.

Sam rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. If I had wanted to raise hell I could have, but I didn't. I chose to give this whole thing a chance, and it's probably the best thing I've ever done in my life."

Gabriel moved back to kiss Sam again, allowing the kiss to grow more passionate and pushing closer to the hunter.

Pulling away slightly, Sam motioned to himself with chagrin. "I'm a little messy here, Gabe," he said apologetically.

"You say that like it's a problem," Gabriel told him dismissively, snapping his fingers. Archangel and hunter were both clean again instantly, and Gabriel grinned and moved back to reclaim Sam's mouth.

Sam didn't argue this time, curling himself around Gabriel and realizing with amusement that he may be clean, but he could definitely feel the soreness starting to creep into his ass. Regardless, it had been completely worth it.


	20. Epilogue

**2 Years Later**

"Sam, look out!" Dean yelled, swinging a machete around as he did so to take out the vampire that was trying to take advantage of the younger Winchester's turned back.

Sam whirled around just in time to see the vampire's head hit the ground, and he jumped back in surprise. "Woah!" He exclaimed, before glancing up to meet Dean's eyes. "Thanks, dude."

"Don't mention it," Dean said wryly. "Is that it for this floor?"

"I think so," Sam confirmed. "There were supposed to be ten of them, right?"

Before Dean could reply, a whoop of victory came from upstairs. "I guess the top floor's done," Dean commented.

As if to punctuate the statement, Gabriel and Castiel appeared in the room, each angel next to their respective hunter. "Did you finish?" Castiel asked Dean.

"Sure did," Dean confirmed, holding up his blood stained machete as evidence. "The last one tried to take Sam's head off."

"It was not that bad," Sam protested in annoyance.

Gabriel poked his shoulder like he was checking to make sure Sam wouldn't fall over. "You seem fine to me," he confirmed with a grin.

Dean rolled his eyes and threw his arm around Castiel's shoulder. "I gotta say, this kind of thing is way easier with angelic assistance."

"You say that after every hunt," Castiel reminded him dryly.

"Yeah, well, it's true!" Dean offered in his defense. "We've been on this vampire hunt for what, a day? Sam and I could have spent over a week on this kind of hunt back in the old days."

"Dude," Same interrupted, grinning, "did you just use the expression 'back in the old days'?"

"Maybe," Dean muttered, shooting a glare at his brother.

Sam laughed out loud. "You must be getting old, Dean. Next thing you know, you'll need reading glasses and a cane."

Gabriel was laughing at the image, but Castiel just looked confused. "Dean is still in perfect physical health," he informed Sam.

"He's just trying to irritate me, Cas." Dean told his angel, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "It's what brothers do."

Giving Gabriel a look of loving consternation, Castiel commented, "Yes, I believe I'm familiar with that phenomenon."

"Do we have to stand around surrounded by corpses or can we go eat?" Gabriel complained, kicking a vampire's head to the side to accentuate his point.

"We can go grab dinner, but we need to take care of the bodies first," Sam told him. "Trust me, it saves trouble in the long run." There had been that time they had watched news coverage of a manhunt for the killer who had executed eight people (demons) and left the bodies strewn around a warehouse in Florida. The Winchesters had been in a hurry, and their neglect of covering up the deaths had not exactly worked out in their favor.

Gabriel snapped his fingers and the house was suddenly immaculately clean. "There, satisfied? I want a milkshake."

Rolling his eyes, Sam shifted slightly towards Gabriel, letting him know he was ready for travel. In front of him, Dean did the same to Castiel, although his expression was more resigned. He still didn't like this kind of transportation.

There was a brief sensation of motion, then the four of them were sitting in a diner booth. A waitress came up to them almost immediately, but her calm expression indicated that she hadn't seen their method of arrival.

"Hiya! What can I get for you all?" She asked in a perky voice.

"French fries, a chocolate milkshake, and a piece of fudge cake," Gabriel told her with a grin. Her lips quirked in reaction, but she wrote it down without comment.

"I'll take a salad and a strawberry milkshake," Sam told her, his expression resigned to Gabriel's order. Gabriel ate a lot of junk food, most of it sweet, and Sam had gotten used to it a long time ago. He even indulged himself on occasion, hence the milkshake order. He still had to actually work to keep in shape though, hence the salad.

"Cheeseburger, fries, and a slice of apple pie," Dean said next, grinning and tossing his arm around Castiel again.

"I will have the same," Castiel intoned. He did not need to eat, but had found that he had an affinity for many of the same foods Dean enjoyed, and he liked eating with his lover.

The waitress nodded and moved off, leaving the four men to relax in their booth.

"Are you guys taking off after dinner?" Dean asked, directing the question to Sam and Gabriel.

Sam shrugged. "Probably, but we're all supposed to be at Bobby's tomorrow anyway, so we'll probably just go back to get a night's sleep."

Dean nodded, accepting that. "Sounds good. Cas and I are going to drive to Bobby's."

The look on Castiel's face made it clear that he was tolerating the drive.

"Dude, why don't you just let Cas fly you?" Sam protested. "It's a hell of a lot faster, and you could actually get a decent night's sleep if you don't drive to South Dakota."

Dean made a face at him. "I never get to drive anymore!" He protested. "We fly everywhere. Cas said I could drive to Bobby's, so I'm driving to Bobby's."

"Unless it is a matter of relative urgency, I have found that Dean's mood tends to be more enjoyable when he has been able to drive the Impala," Castiel informed them, his lips twitching slightly in amusement.

Sam chuckled, knowing it was true. "All right, well make sure he doesn't fall asleep at the wheel."

"Of course," Castiel agreed.

"I would never risk my baby's life like that!" Dean protested. "Or my car," he added as an afterthought.

There was a pause while everyone figured out what Dean meant, then Castiel was blushing and smiling and Gabriel and Sam were laughing.

 _Ha, look at Cas blush! All Dean called him was baby! I wonder how red you'd go if..._  Gabriel trailed off, raising his eyebrows at Sam cheekily as he sent his mate the thought.

Sam's eyes narrowed at him, but were filled with amusement.  _I wouldn't try it if I were you. I know where the holy oil is._

Gabriel laughed out loud, drawing Dean and Castiel's curious expressions. "Sorry, Sam said something funny."

"C'mon, guys, no telepathy at the dinner table," Dean complained. "It's weird."

"Just because you and Cas say everything out loud doesn't mean we have to," Sam countered. "Besides, we spent months conversing only in my head. Old habits die hard."

Dean shrugged, deciding that was an acceptable explanation. "Is living in Cinderella's palace an old habit too?" He teased, knowing Gabriel found the nickname for his house irritating.

Gabriel made a face at him, but Sam set a calming hand on his shoulder. "I think the palace is awesome," he said firmly. "Besides, you and Cas have a pretty sweet house too."

"Yeah, but we don't live there all the time," Dean pointed out. "We just go back between hunts, not every night like you guys and your Disney castle."

"Still," Sam continued, "You practically have a mansion in the south of France, Dean. It's pretty sweet."

Dean grinned at that. "Okay, yeah. I like the house."

As the designer of the house in question, Castiel smiled proudly in response to that. "We may not spend as much in our home as you do in yours," he told Sam, "but I am not particularly adverse to the motel rooms, either. There is something to be said for familiarity."

Sam smiled softly at that, knowing what the angel meant. Dean and Castiel still hunted professionally, taking breaks to live in France inbetween hunts, and meeting up with Bobby and other hunters from time to time just to catch up. Sam and Gabriel, on the other hand, spent the majority of their time traveling through the world and time itself, although time traveling was not incredibly common, as it seriously drained Gabriel if they were gone for too long. They still hunted, but only sporadically if it seemed like Dean and Castiel were really going to need the help. Otherwise, they mostly helped Bobby with research, of which Gabriel seemed to be a never ending resource.

"When was the last time you guys saw Bobby?" Dean asked, changing the subject. "We were there a week or two ago, but not for very long. We were just passing through on our way North, and Bobby would've been grumpy if we didn't say hi."

Sam chuckled, knowing it was true. "Gabe and I visited Bobby briefly a few days ago because he needed help with some ancient translation he was doing. Obviously, Gabe's fluent in everything, so I mostly just watched while Bobby tried really hard not to look impressed." He grinned at the memory. Bobby put up with Gabriel and possibly even liked him, but he found him irritating enough that he tried consistently to hide any positive feelings he might be having from the archangel. Gabriel found it hilarious.

"Well, who else is coming tomorrow?" Dean asked, thinking of the list of possibilities.

"For Thanksgiving? Probably everybody." Sam shrugged, not really knowing who Bobby had invited over.

"Who is everybody?" Castiel inquired.

"Uh, let's see. Jody, for one." Sam stuck a finger out, counting.

"Right, because Bobby would forget to invite his girlfriend," Dean said with a grin.

"Are they dating?" Gabriel asked excitedly.

Sam shook his head. "Not officially."

A mischievous glint flared up in Gabriel's eyes. "Maybe we can fix that."

"Hey," Sam warned. "No matchmaking. Leave them be."

Gabriel shrugged, not promising anything. "Who else?"

"Probably Garth," Sam suggested. "I think Bobby feels obligated to make sure the kid doesn't explode or something."

Castiel nodded seriously. "Having met Garth, I can see how that might be a valid concern."

Dean grinned broadly, trying not to laugh. He didn't run into Garth very often, but the few times Castiel had had occasion to meet the young hunter, he had expressed concern that Garth might end up getting himself or them killed. Somehow, it never happened, but there had been a few close calls.

"Did Bobby invite Rufus?" Gabriel asked, looking eager. For some bizarre reason, Gabriel's favorite hunter (apart from Sam) was Rufus Turner. The two got along famously, and Sam found their banter hilarious. Whenever Rufus needed help, he tended to call Sam and Gabriel these days.

"I don't know, probably," Sam replied. "Presuming Rufus hasn't done anything to piss Bobby off lately."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, knowing that that was a significant possibility.

"I assume we will know exactly who Bobby invited when we arrive tomorrow," Castiel pointed out. He leaned back as their food arrived, moving forward to take a bit of his burger the minute the waitress set it down.

Chuckling at Castiel's eagerness, Dean mimicked his movement and took a large bite of his burger, watching as Sam began to dress his salad and eat it rather delicately, and Gabriel immediately lunged for his milkshake and began to suck it dry.

Somehow, this odd assortment was a family. That was the great thing about actually celebrating Thanksgiving these days. They had family to celebrate with.

"Last one to finish their food gets thrown in our pool!" Gabriel suddenly challenged, looking up from his milkshake with a grin.

Sam and Dean rolled their eyes, maintaining their current eating pace, but Castiel's eyes widened with surprise and he immediately began to eat faster, taking the challenge at face value.

The Winchester brothers grinned as they watched their mates inhale their food, laughing at the look on Gabriel's face when he saw that Castiel had finished his burger and fries, then managed to put the entire slice of apple pie in his mouth.

"You lose, Gabe," Sam pointed out with a chuckle.

"Not fair," Gabriel complained, but he was laughing too.

 _Don't worry,_  Sam thought at him.  _I won't let them throw you in the pool. You and I can go skinny dipping later._

Gabriel grinned at Sam broadly and thought back,  _You know I love you, right, princess?_

Sam's answering smile was beautiful, and for a moment the two were lost in each other, completely forgetting they weren't alone.

"Are Cas and I this bad with the staring thing?" Dean complained to no one in particular.

Without looking away from each other, Sam and Gabriel answered in unison, "Yes."

The resulting chuckle from Castiel concluded the pause, and suddenly all four of them were laughing again.

It was really nice to have a family.


End file.
